BetrayerS
by TsurugiNoMiko
Summary: AU Fic. Warning: Reader's discretion advised. Completed as of 26 Sept 2012.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

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***BANG***

The sound of a gunshot echos through the large warehouse, a shaking pair of hands holding the weapon. Cerulean eyes wide in shock mixed with fear as its owner staggers to stay on their feet.

"Na...no..ha..." I call out in between ragged breaths as my body writhes in pain.

Nanoha stands there, her eyes empty, lifeless...cold.

"I...I...I..." she tries to talk but nothing else comes out of her lips.

"Na..no...*hack*cough*" I try to call her name again but the blood running from my mouth made its way into my trachea. I fall to the ground and try to get back up, but the pain was overwhelming my strength and draining it quickly

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

She ran to my side and grabbed my hand while she buried her face into my shoulder. Tears started streaming down her face, and I noticed her grip was tightening around me.

"Its...ok, Nanoha..." I raised my free hand to try to comfort her "its ok..."

My grip started to lose its strength as my consciousness began to waver. She noticed this and looked up at me with fear in her eyes.

"No! You cant die!" She gasped "Stay with me! Please!!" She began to cry even harder as she begged and begged hoping that it would somehow help me stay conscious "Just a little bit longer!" Desperation and utter fear evident in her voice "Help will be here soon! Please don't leave me all alone!!!"

Nanoha buried her face into my shoulder once again. I used what was left of my strength to gently pat her head. She looked up at me once again and I looked at those sad azure orbs that were marred by tears.

"Thank you...Nanoha" I smiled weakly at her "Thank you...for everything..."

"No! Dont die!!" she screamed at me "You promised you'd protect me!" she gripped my hand harder "You promised...you'd never leave..."

"I'm...sorry" I gasped out as my vision became more and more clouded "I've...reached my...limit and--"

She cut me off my pressing her lips against mine. It was soft and warm as always...but this time it was also desperate and fearful. I could taste her salty tears on the tip of my tongue as they continued to flow endlessly from her eyes

"I love you Fate-chan..." Her voice was cracked, her eyes teary, but her words were clear.

I smiled as best as I could to show her that I had indeed heard and understood what she had just said.

"I love you too...Nanoha." I said with the last of my strength as I heard the distant sound of police sirens. "You will be...safe now..." I said almost in a whisper as my eyes began to close

"No! Just a little longer!" she begged, shaking me slightly

"Goodbye...Nanoha..."

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_A/N Hmmm kinda short for a prologue I guess, at least to what I am used to writing. I wonder how far I should take this...or if I should even take this anywhere lol. What do you guys think? If its something worth working on I'll continue it, if not then I'll just probably let it die just like the above scene (mwahahahaha!!!) *ahem* Thanks again in advance *bows*_


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N Well I know I didn't place a disclaimer in the prologue *pulls out intelligent device* so I might as well do so now *looks at device* on second thought. Is a disclaimer even REALLY needed? I mean look...if I owned the characters and stuff that I am going to be using in this story would I really be writing FanFiction? I would be out there spending my time trying to make another SEASON! In any case...so the website doesn't get into any crazy things I'll put one up. __**Disclaimer: Everything in this story herein belongs to its proper owners. **__With that said, its time to begin once again. *raises device* Guardian of time! Crono-Scepter! Set up!_

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_**~~ Chapter 1 ~~**

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep-click* The sound of the ever-annoying alarm clock was silenced when I reached out from under the covers of the bed. I started to groan slightly at the disruption of my sleep and tried to go back into that wonderful dream I was having

"Fate? Fate? Wake up Fate." A voice called out and started shaking the sleepyhead "Come on Fate, you'll be late for school!"

"Arrrr...5 more minutes" I whined underneath the warmth of the blanket as I rolled over away from the source of the voice.

"Quit joking around! Your mom is waiting for you!" And with that the owner of the voice grabbed the blanket and forcefully pulled it off me. I curled herself into a ball in a feeble attempt to block the sun's rays from hitting my eyes and forcing me up. "*sigh* You are such a slow morning person!" A tinge of agitation forming on the speaker's voice.

"Rmmmm...fine." I said finally defeated. "I'm up. I'm up." I sat up on her bed and looked up to a brown haired woman. "Good morning Linith"

Linith was my mother's personal maid. She used to tell me incredible stories about her travels with my mother while I was growing up. She is practically part of the family, but she likes her role as a maid. I feel bad having to rely on her all the time, shes been helping me with everything from chores around the house to my school work projects. Not once has she complained, not once has she rejected a request. Her dedication and her energy make it really hard for us to deny her offers of help, then again I would be completely lost without her. I am not exactly sure myself as to how long shes been with us, but I am glad shes here. Oh, and shes so far the _only_ person I know of who can stand up to my mother in a forward conversation.

"Good morning indeed, Fate" she sighed. "You know..." she began

_"Oh great, here we go again"_ I thought to myself as Linith went to what I like to call her _S-mode_. Simply her "Strict" mode.

"...I have always taught you that being on time is a critical thing and should never be taken lightly. You must always have a professional approach when it comes to time after all-"

"After all I am a member of the Testarossa family" I finished for her. I have heard this speech thousands of times "I know that Linith" I stood up and went to the bathroom.

"Yet you never listen and never learn" she called as she began to fix my bed and prepare my uniform "then again its no wonder since Precia-sama keeps spoiling you"

It was true...mom did like to spoil me for some reason. She would always shield me when Linith would try to correct me when I did something wrong, but that never really worked since mom would get corrected instead with something along the lines of "You are spoiling Fate too much! She will never turn into a decent human being if you don't correct her!" Ha ha ha, those were the days. Mom would always laugh it off at the end and comfort me when I apologized to her afterwards. However there was always something that bothered me about her...something that would always make me nervous and fearful around her almost as if-

"Fate!" Linith called interrupting my train of thought. "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming!" I called and ran back into the room.

I got dressed quickly and was about to leave when Linith grabbed my arm

"Oh no you don't!" she said as she looked me over "You aren't going greet your mother looking like you slept in your uniform" she continued as she started fixing the minute little details out "Ok go"

"Thanks!" I called as I ran down the stairs and into the dining area.

"Good morning, Fate!" a voice greeted me

"Ah, good morning Arf" I responded as I sat down on the table

Arf is my cousin and lives in the same city but on the other end. She is 3 years older than I am and was working at an auto mechanic shop last I heard. She comes over every once in a while just to visit the family-especially her best friend Linith. Personally I think shes just here to eat Linith's cooking. Don't be fooled when I say "city" Tokyo is a huge place. Its about 2,187.08 km squared and has 62 Municipalities.

_A/N A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council._

"Ah, so you are here" another voice called from behind me.

"...!" I bolted upright and turned around. Before me stood a older woman, smiling gently as she walked over to the table. "M-mom, g-good morning" I bowed and shakily greeted her.

Precia Testarossa. My mother. The one person on the face of this planet that I admired, loved...and feared all at the same time. Linith used to tell me stories about her when I was growing up, all the time I was thinking they were just stories since I was very drawn to my mother. Over time though I started to wonder which of those stories were actually real. I mean come on...if they truly _were_ real then Linith was making my mother out to have been some kind of...I don't know...the proper words just wont come to me. I mean sure she used to go on "business trips" for 2-3 months at a time sometimes; sure I always felt an odd sense of "evil power" radiating from her whenever strange men in high class black suits and ties came to visit occasionally for some..."business talk" I suppose; sure I always thought it weird how her amethyst eyes never missed even the smallest of details and always pierced into me like she was looking into my soul...but there was just no way! I mean shes _MY_ mother after all! Shes a kind, gentle, caring mother...that...just happens to...scare me sometimes. There is just _absolutely 100% no way! _Right?

"What's wrong, Fate?" she walked up to me and embraced me lightly "Did you have a bad dream last night?" she smiled as she helped me sit down in my seat "Don't worry, I am here for you." she walked over to take her place across from me "Shall we eat?"

"Geez Fate how can you be acting so crazy around your own mother?" Arf half laughed

"I-I'm sorry" I stuttered and blushed a little embarrassed "I was just running a little late that's all"

"You are _always_ running a little late" Arf sighed "I swear if Linith wasn't waking you up everyday you would never get out of bed!"

"I'm sorry I like to sleep!" I playfully responded in mock anger as I began eating.

"Now, now, girls" Mom spoke up "No fighting at the table" she said sarcastically as she smiled at us both.

I smiled back and thought about everything that just went through my mind earlier. _"Yeah there's just no way its true._" I convinced myself _"I mean look! We are all sitting down here having a nice breakfast together as a family, there's no way its true._" I finished up my plate just as the sound of the doorbell rang.

"Ah, welcome!" Linith's voice could be heard in the distance as she opened the door.

A young man with golden hair tied to a pony tail walked in dressed in a school uniform with the same colors as the one I am wearing now. He stood at the door nervously as he waited for me to arrive.

"Good morning, Fate-san" he smiled and waved at me as I approached

"Good morning, Yuuno-kun" I responded.

Yuuno Scrya. My boyfriend. Class 3-C. We have been dating since the beginning of our 1st year--well make that secretly since the beginning of our first year. "Why?" You ask? Because I was scared to death that mom wouldn't allow me to date anyone, even more scared that if she found out I _was_ dating that she'd have him killed or something! I begged him to keep it a secret from her, which he completely understood. He understood that I loved my mother very much, but also feared her almost _just as much._ With all that being said though, she found out about us about a few months ago when I accidentally made the mistake of saying "I already have one so its fine" when Linith made the comment of "You will never find a decent boyfriend or something if you are always running against the clock Fate." in the middle of dinner. *sigh* Lets just say that when mom went to her own version of _S-mode_ (I call it "Scary" mode this time) I was so paralyzed with fear that I could do nothing but answer all her questions honestly--even if they were relevant to the topic at hand or not.

"Mom! Arf! Linith! I'm heading out!" I called over my shoulder as I started to put my shoes on.

"One moment, Scrya-san" Precia called as she walked over to the door "I would like to have a word with you"

I gasped a little to myself and my eyes widened in fear. I could only imagine what they were going to talk about...but I knew that mom was probably giving him a warning judging from the way he was standing at attention and not moving in the slightest.

"Understand that even though you and Fate had been dating behind my back all this time, I am going to allow this. Fate hasn't been really happy ever since her father died. Now..." her eyes went from the soft gentle gaze into the _S-mode_ I was mentioning earlier "if you do anything that will harm my daughter..." her gaze now piercing into Yuuno's very soul "the full might of the Testarossa name will bear down upon you. Do you understand?" she smiled a gentle smile...that looked almost evil when matched with the way her eyes were set.

"Y-y-y-yes" Yuuno stammered "I'll take care of her"

"Mom!" I called over, trying to rescue Yuuno "We'll be late for school at this rate!!" I walked over and grabbed Yuuno by the arm and dragged him with me out the door "Bye!!!"

We started walking side by side and I was sighing the entire way. I couldn't believe my mother would DO something like that. I understand shes just trying to look out for me but couldn't she understand how embarrassing that was for me? *sigh*

"I'm sorry, Yuuno-kun" I started "Mom gets a little overprotective sometimes"

"That's alright" he smiled "it is my fault for keeping it a secret from her all this time. I'm just glad she actually allowed us to continue."

"Yeah, I was so scared that she would have me cut off all ties when I was interrogated that night during dinner and-"

"Good morning!!" Another voice greeted us from behind.

A dark haired youth ran up to us and patted us both on the shoulders.

"Good morning Chrono-kun" Yuuno responded

"Good morning, Onii-chan" I greeted

Chrono Harlaown. Class 3-F. My best friend since I was a kid. Hes always been there for me and was really the brother I never had. I remember playing with him and Arf a lot growing up when he lived a lot closer to me. His family moved to another section of the city but still within the district border so we could at least meet at school. He's good friends with Yuuno--as a matter of fact, hes the one that introduced us. He doesn't have a part time job, but hes been applying to work as a part time security guard. I bet a Navy blue/blackish security guard outfit would look good on him no?

"Geh! I told you to stop calling me that!" He blushed a little "We aren't kids anymore Fate"

"Aww quit being such a baby" I teased "want me to start calling you that in front of your friends?" I grinned evilly

"Dont you dare!"

"Come on you two" Yuuno called "the warning bell already rang."

"Safe!" I called out as I opened the door to 3-A, my classroom. I was greeted by applause from the rest of the students as I caught my breath. I quickly ran to my seat and sat down knowing that the homeroom teacher will be in any moment.

As if on cue, the door opened once again and the instructor walked in.

"Take your seats!" Our homeroom teacher called as she walked in. "Inchou" she nodded to me

_A/N Class president_

"Stand!" I commanded and the entire class followed "bow"

"Ohayogozaimasu!" the class sounded in unison

_A/N I shouldn't need to say this but its "Good morning" he he_

"Be seated!" I finished.

"Alright let's start with today's homeroom..." she began

Carim Gracia. Homeroom, History, and English teacher for my class. 24 years old, Single, and is my favorite teacher. She is very smart, born and studied overseas, she even skipped grades! What I like most about her though...is her taste in apparel. She wore a light Majorelle blue dress with a black waist cape that began from the side of her hips all the way around the back. A small matching black jacket, with a small purple bow on her white blouse completed the outfit, while a purple ribbon holding her hair from the inside complimented the appearance. Everything she wore just seemed to almost be painted on her and really contrasted quite well to her long blond hair. If you already didn't guess...Black is my favorite color, so what she has on really caught my attention. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she was someone working with the church--like a nun or something.

_A/N In 1924 the French artist Jacques Majorelle constructed his largest art work, the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, Morocco, and painted the garden walls, fountains, features and villa this very intense shade of blue, for which he trademarked the name Majorelle Blue. Just a little factoid hehe._

"...and we will be having a transfer student tomorrow. That's why, Inchou" she looked at me "I will have them sit next to you so you can ease them into the class alright?"

"Leave it to me" I responded with a smile.

"Alright" she nodded "homeroom is over. I'll see you all in English"

I gave a sigh as the lunch bell rang. I stretched my arms over my head and plopped back on my desk. I don't know what it is, but these days have been tiring me down lately...maybe because of the weather? Nah, I don't think so. Maybe its because I am spending too much time with Chrono and Yuuno-those two boys have way too much energy. As to where they get all of it is beyond me, I mean come on--

"Testarossa-san?" A voice called snapping my train of thought

"Hmmm?" I look up and see a girl with short light orange hair tied into twin tails. "Ah, seito-kaichou" I raised my head and greeted her properly "what did you need?"

_A/N Student Council President. I chose it because...I don't know, I wanted to :p_

Teana Lanster. Class 2-B. Student Council President. A generally serious, focused and goal driven individual. She has a tsundere personality which sometimes makes her hard to deal with--especially for the teachers when she tries to get things done on behalf of the students. Let me see...shes also the leader of the Archery club and by far one of their best. They call her the _"Sniper_". Rumor has it that shes never missed a target and that shes even working on trying to split arrows. Shes great with her work and despite her "unapproachable" exterior shes quite popular among the boys and lots of the girls especially in the 1st and 2nd years. I can only imagine what kind of fantasies they have about her concerning her personality and all but hey.

_A/N Tsundere (__ツンデレ__?) pronounced /(t)sʌn.dɪə(r)/ or /(t)sɯ.re/ is a Japanese concept of a character archetype which describes a person with a conceited, irritable, and/or violent personality that suddenly becomes modest and loving when triggered by some sort of cause (such as being alone with someone). It can also describe a contradictory personality which is good-willed on the inside, but with a harsh attitude on the outside. Just another factoid ^.^_

"I wanted to talk to you about your new transfer student tomorrow" she started "but I would like to discuss this elsewhere." she looked around at all the other students in the room "Please follow me." she said in a strict manner, it was more of a command than a request--one that I followed without question.

We walked out of the classroom and headed towards the student council office. I couldn't help but taking in the view as I walked in. It was very well organized from the way the tables were perfectly aligned, the way the plants were placed in strategic locations to allow the people inside a whiff of their sweet fragrance, to the way the curtains were positioned to "set the mood" of whatever kind of conversation would be happening in this large room. Teana sat down at her seat behind her desk and motioned for me to sit across from her.

"Would you like some tea?" she offered as she reached over and poured herself a cup.

"Yes please" I responded "Thank you" I said as I received it.

She pulled a file out from her desk and opened it, skimming through the general notes and flipping through the pages before closing it again.

"As I mentioned earlier" she began "I wanted to talk to you about the new transfer student."

I nodded

"I was reading a little bit on her background and decided to hold a meeting with the instructors. I wanted to find someone reliable to handle this situation."

"And you chose me"

"No, Gracia-sensei chose you. She said you were a reliable person with a level head, so I wanted to see it for myself before I made my final decision."

"What decision is that?" I inquired taking a sip

"Fate Testarossa." She looked at me seriously "This person's situation is, to say the least, troublesome. Her parents died a several years ago and she has no relatives in the area, either that or they didn't care enough about her to take her in. Whatever the case may be, shes in a delicate stage. After they passed on, she had to manage everything all on her own. You can say shes become...apathetic. Shes transferring here hoping to have a new life, so don't be all too surprised if she is a bit withdrawn at first. I'm sorry to bring back some unwanted memories, but I heard that your own father died many years back as well. I figured she would feel more at ease being with someone who has shared the same pain."

The memories of _that_ night rushed back to me. Clearly...Vividly...Frighteningly.

"That's why" she said as she rested her chin on her intertwined fingers, effectively rescuing me from reliving those memories "I wanted to talk to you in person, to find out if you are capable of this task. Will you take this request?"

I stared at Teana for a little while, unsure of what to say. A part of me was scared to accept since it might bring back too many unwanted memories-memories that I have tried so hard to suppress. Yet at the same time another part of me wanted to accept, to comfort, and maybe...be comforted as well from someone else who has gone through a similar situation.

"All right." I nodded "I'll do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I gave her a determined look "I cant keep running away from this forever. I'll have to face the truth some day. If this new student is the help I need to finally put this matter to rest, then I will do everything in my power to do it." I looked down "I'm sure that's what my Father would have wanted..."

Teana smiled at me before reverting back to her _Student Council_ mode.

"That's all I needed to talk to you about, Testarossa-san. She will be in your class, so do take care of her."

I stood up and bowed as I exited the room. I looked at the clock and noticed that I still had just enough time to get some food from the cafeteria before lunch was over. _"Let's eat!" _I told myself as I began to quicken my pace.

"So, what did the seito-kaichou want with you today?" Yuuno asked as we walked home.

"Knowing her, shes was probably late to class or something" Chrono answered

I jabbed him in the stomach lightly as I gave him a agitated look "For your information" I said in mock anger "I was called there concerning a new student that's going to be transferring in tomorrow."

"Lanster-san called you in for that?" Chrono asked, moving out of striking range

"Apparently this one has a few...issues so I was asked to take control of this one."

"Hmm, hes probably some kind of stalker and will do all kinds of strange things to you while you show him around" he teased

"Dont worry, I'll make sure that doesn't happen" Yuuno answered

"Thanks but I think I'll be the one doing the protecting" I glared at both of them "from YOU two."

"What do you mean by _that?" _they asked simultaneously.

"The new transfer student is a _girl_ so you better keep your slimy claws off her onii-chan" I looked at him then turned to Yuuno "and YOU better not get any ideas either!"

"Oh come on, Fate" Yuuno smiled "you know I'd never betray you. Chrono on the other hand..."

We both turned to face him

"W-what?!" he started "I'm already interested in someone else! I wont be-"

"You're WHAT?!" I interrupted. "YOU? INTERESTED? In SOMEONE?!" I said in feigned shock. Yuuno laughed at the situation "My little boy is all grown up now *sniffle*" I pretended to shed a tear.

"Quit making fun of me!" he yelled back, a little embarrassed "I'm serious here!"

"Then who is it?" I glared at him with a look that said _I don't believe you for a second_

"I..I...umm..."

"*tsk* You got lucky onii-chan" I said as we reached the intersection where our paths turned into crossroads. "Introduce her to me tomorrow" Yuuno and I started down the path to my house "or else..." I looked over my shoulder "I can think of a few things your friends would like to know about...like that one time that--"

"Ok OK!!!!" he yelled cutting me off. "I'll...show you who she is tomorrow."

"Till then~~ _Onii-chan_" I waved

"You're evil, Fate" he waved back.

Yuuno and I continued walking to my house. The entire time we just talked about the usual ramblings of the day: Teachers, school work, how bad lunch tasted today (bleh). After a few minutes we arrived at my house, where Linith greeted us from the front door.

"Welcome home, Fate" she called smiling "how was school?"

"I'm back" I answered her and then turned around to Yuuno "See you tomorrow!"

He nodded and waved to us both before heading off to his house. I followed Linith in and started to take off my shoes.

"So any progress?" she asked, picking up my school bag from the floor.

"What do you mean 'progress'?" I look up

"You two have been dating for over 2 years now--almost 3. I am asking if there has been any advancement in your relationship."

"Like I said, what do you mean?"

"Have you two kissed yet?"

My eyes widened in shock at her straight question. "Linith!"

"You wanted me to clarify, so I'll quit beating around the bush. Have you, Fate Testarossa, kissed him yet?"

"You know I couldn't do that Linith" fear growing in my eyes

"Why not?" she asked as we both sat down on the couch

"Mom would _kill_ me! And after that...kill _him!" _I responded almost robotically "Besides..."

"Yes?"

"Something just seems like its missing...its just..."

"Just what, Fate?"

"It just feels _incomplete_ that's all" I responded after finding the right words "its like...I don't know..." I sighed and lowered my head

"You don't hate him do you?"

"No! No its not like that. I just don't know what this feeling is Linith...I know I am supposed to be happy, but there just seems to be a small void still for some reason."

"Its alright, Fate" she hugged me gently like she did so many times before. "You will find the answer someday. You'll see"

"Thanks Linith" I smiled back as she released me

"Now why don't you set the table as I get dinner ready. Precia-sama will be back soon from her little shopping escapade, and you know how she is about details"

"Yeah I know" I laughed "Lets get started."

Mom came home a little bit later after that. Interestingly enough Arf was with her, apparently the two of them decided that they should check out the new store that opened in town last week. I was kind of worried as to where they had gotten all the money to spend seeing as they each walked in with 10 bags of stuff. Dinner was pleasant as we had another well cooked meal prepared by Linith, we all shared events from our day and continued on in idle chatter. I broke free after a little while under the pretense of having to do my homework. I went ahead upstairs and changed into my sleeping clothes and plopped onto my bed. The soft, warm feeling it gave me quickly enveloped my senses as my eyes started to get heavy and soon helped me drift to sleep...

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_A/N Alright...this is only the first chapter. So PLEASE don't start firing your Starlight Breakers at me T.T If you want to leave mean evil comments that's fine I guess...at least it will give me something to read. Hehe. Anyway! I am still trying to figure out where I want to take this. I am probably going to stick to the original plan I had in mind...but I would like some "food" from you guys as well. I am trying to unfold a story and things may take a few chapters to build up. So please, let me know what you think! Things might not make too much sense right now...but I promise things will clear up if the story continues. Thanks once again *bows*_


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N I would like to start this chapter by issuing an apology. As one person noted, I might have gone overboard with all the extra A/Ns and unnecessary data in the last chapter. I am actually glad that was brought to my attention. Why? so I won't do them again! Or at least as much as before :p That's what reviews are for! They are for the betterment of the story, a chance to point out things to make them better. So please continue to lend me your support as I unfold this story. *bows* With that said...lets roll the next episode!_

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_~~ **Chapter 2 ~~**

_**~La la la la la la-la~**_

The sound of a J-pop tune broke the silence of the early morning. I reached out to he general area of where the sound was coming from and tried to find the source, hoping to stop it before it either ran out of batteries or drove me insane. Eventually I managed to grasp the item in question and turn it off. I uncurled myself and stretched out as much as I could before pulling the covers off my head. My vision started to clear up as I looked straight ahead onto a large brown box.

"Oh yeah, that's right" I spoke to myself. "I fell asleep after unpacking the living room..."

I had just recently moved in two days ago and had been painstakingly working on trying to get the house into some kind of order. There were many boxes brought in and they filled up almost the entire living room. Although I wanted to just start tearing into them and unpacking everything, I decided to situate myself and place the boxes into designated areas. Why? I figured it would be easier to maneuver around the house if the boxes meant for certain rooms were in those said rooms. That being said, I spent almost all of yesterday just moving things to their proper places and barely managed to finish all the living room items.

_"Might as well get up_" I thought to myself "_I have to go to my new school today."_

I looked at the clock on my way to the bathroom. It was still early so I didn't have to rush and the feel of the cool water hitting my face was too refreshing to ignore. Maneuvering around the boxes in my room, I made my way to the kitchen where 2 boxes sat on the table waiting to be unpacked. I pulled out the small frying pan and dug around for the spatula in hopes of making myself a quick breakfast. I sighed deeply as I began to cook, memories of when my mother used to do this for me floating into my mind.

_"She stood right here...in this very spot..."_

This house...once belonged to my grandparents. My mother had taken care of it as best she could so that one day I could take it and make it my own. Who would have thought that the next time I would be in this house, I would be all alone. I sighed one more time as I finished cooking, I pulled my bento box over so I could put the extras in for lunch. Finally, after several minutes I was able to sit down and eat.

"Itadakimasu~~"

I pulled out my notebook while I ate and looked over my class schedule. Today will be my first day so it wasn't loaded--not that I cared anyway. I flipped through several pages and stopped when my eyes noticed a small note that I had added at the end of one page.

_"So 3-A is my classroom" _I thought while I continued to munch away _"That's right, I have to go meet my homeroom teacher in the Student Council office"_

I checked the clock again and noticed that it was getting close to the time I needed to leave. I quickly washed my plates and ran into my room to put my uniform on. One last look in the mirror of the bathroom after I brushed my teeth and it was a dash to the door. I turned around after putting on my shoes and was about to announce that I was leaving but...silence was all that was left of this once lively house. I sighed as I closed the door behind me, locking it and tossing the key into my bag as I pulled out my notebook.

"I guess I should head to school..."

~xX*Xx~

"Welcome..." a girl stood up from behind her desk as I walked into the Student Council office "My name is Lanster, Teana--the Student Council President, please have a seat."

"Takamachi, Nanoha." I bowed "pleasure to meet you. I walked over to her desk and sat down in front of her. She did the same after pouring two cups of tea and serving me one. I looked her over and noted to myself that she looked younger than me, she had to be.

"Yes, I'm a second year student" she said as if reading my mind "don't let that bother you. My job is to make sure you have a easy transition to our school; that being said if you have any problems, complaints, or concerns feel free to bring them up to me."

I just nodded in silence as I picked up the cup and took a sip.

"Now" she began again "I called you here for two reasons: the first being to meet your Homeroom teacher. The second being that I wanted to let you know I assigned you to someone."

"Assigned me?"

"Yes, since you are brand new to the school there will be many things you might not be accustomed to. Things that might be burdensome to you, things that might cause unforeseen circumstances for you, that's why I asked a member of your class to specifically look after you for a few days until you get the hang of things."

"I don't mean to be rude" I put the cup down "but I would prefer if no one bothered with me, besides--"

"Takamachi-san" she cut me off "this isn't up for debate."

I was about to respond back when we heard a knock on the door

"Come in" Lanster called

A woman with long blond hair and dark clothes walked in. She could have easily passed for a nun if she had a Rosary around her neck or something.

"Takamachi-san" Lanster stood up and I followed suit "this is Gracia, Carim-sensei. She will be your homeroom instructor starting today"

"Nice to meet you" she bowed

"Likewise" I followed suit

"Its almost time for class" Lanster said looking towards the clock "Sensei, please take care of her"

We both left the office and started making our way to the classroom. Gracia-sensei stared at me the entire time, which sorta made me feel a little strange but I didn't want to offend her so I stayed quiet.

"As you heard from Lanster-san" she broke the silence "someone has been assigned to help you out for the next couple of days"

"Is she always that pushy?" I sighed "She didn't even listen to what I had to say"

"That's very much like her hehe. Dont worry Takamachi-san, shes just trying to look out for your well-being that's all. Besides I think you'll have to worry more about how the students will react"

"React?"

"Yeah, you are so cute they probably wont leave you alone" she smiled "but don't worry, the person assigned to you will shield you from all of them"

"Um, Gracia-sensei..."

"Carim"

"Eh?"

"Call me Carim-sensei if you would" she smiled

"Carim...sensei" I tested it out "Who is this person that's been 'assigned' to help me?" I sighed, half defeated.

"Dont worry she's reliable" she said as she stood in front of the door "I promise to make things easy for you. Now if you would please wait here for a moment" she said as she opened the door and walked in "Hai! Homeroom is starting!"

I heard the shuffling of chairs as everyone took their seats. I could also hear Carim-sensei talking about me to the class.

"As you all know there is a transfer student today. Shes a very smart, yet quiet individual so if possible I would like you not to pounce on her all at once. Inchou, you will be in charge to managing her until she settles in ok?"

_"So the class president is the one I am assigned to"_ my mind deduced _"I hope she doesn't bother me that much"_

"Now would you please come in" Carim said with a slightly louder voice so I could hear her.

I opened the door and walked in. The class stared at me in silence as I made my way next to her and looked at them all. "Nice you meet you all" I said as best I could "I am Takamachi, Nanoha. Its a pleasure." I bowed and the class started going "ooooh~~" and began erupting into their own little pockets of conversation.

_"They seem like a noisy bunch" _I sighed to myself "_I hope it wasn't a mistake coming here..."_

I continued to scan the classroom and my eyes fell on a blond haired girl. For some reason she stood out, maybe because she was the only one that remained quiet and actually looked at me--check that, more like looked _through_ me. For some reason her aura was different from the others, her burgundy eyes seemed to want to communicate something to me, but I just didn't seem to understand it. It almost looked as if she was relieved to see me--like she has been expecting me all along. I don't know, just something about her...seemed odd.

"That's enough!" Carim-sensei spoke up, dispelling the chaos "Now then Takamachi-san" she looked at me "Your seat is next to the Inchou." she pointed to the seat next to the blond.

I bowed and walked over to my seat, luckily it was next to the window. I placed my bag on my desk and sat down. Carim-sensei started going over all the homeroom matters while I uncaringly looked out the window. I could feel the vermilion eyes training on me, but I didn't care. I just wanted to be left alone, I didn't want to deal with other people when I already have more than enough to deal with myself. I figured if I ignored her, she would go away...or so I thought.

~xX*Xx~

The lunch bell finally rang and before I could stand up, there were classmates surrounding my desk.

"Um, Takamachi-san" one of them started "I was wanting to know what your interests were, you see I am from the drama club and I wanted to know if you were interested in seeing things over there"

"Eh..." I started to respond but was cut off

"Ah, no fair!" another chimed in "Takamachi-san" the girl grasped my hands "would you be interested in joining the newspaper club? You will hear all the news that happens around the school! Every little bit of the good, bad, and ugly things that people don't know about."

"If that is too much running around for you what about the photography club?" yet another classmate joined in "you would be a good model for us to show cute outfits and other things as well."

One after another, they launched their questions in rapid-fire succession. It was getting so noisy that I couldn't hear myself think much less try to voice my own opinion. I started to get agitated and was about to slam on my desk to make everyone stop so I can get some peace and quiet when...

"Everyone! Stand aside!" a voice towered above the rest. I looked up and saw that it belonged to the blond haired student that sat next to me. She glared at everyone much like how a mother would look at a misbehaving child. "Cant you all see that you are troubling her?" she grabbed my hand "If you have questions for her, do it in an orderly fashion, but right now" she pulled me up "let's have some lunch shall we?" she said as she started to drag me towards the door. I barely managed to grab my bento box as I was pulled away from the classroom, down the hallway, up the stairs, and on to the roof. "We should be safe here" she said as she leaned against the door "I am sorry I couldn't step in sooner, I had some things to turn in to the instructor."

I just nodded as I caught my breath from running.

"Ah, that's right" she said as if it just hit her "I haven't introduced myself have I?" she stood there and took a deep breath as if trying to slow down her heartbeat. "My name is Testarossa, Fate" she held out her hand towards me "its a pleasure to meet you."

It might have been the angle of the sun, my tired eyes, or maybe just the way she introduced herself, but this girl standing before me...was beautiful. The light reflected perfectly from her golden hair, which was carried gently in the breeze that passed us on the roof. I reached out and took her hand "Takamachi...Nanoha" I responded slowly, unable to figure out what else to say.

_"This isn't good" _I thought to myself _"I cant get caught in this situation again. I don't want to--"_

"Shall we have some lunch?" she asked as she made her way to the bench.

"Thank you Testarossa-san" I straightened myself out "for rescuing me from our classmates, but I will be fine from here so you don't have to bother with me any longer."

"My mother's maid, Linith makes some really good meals." she spoke as if ignoring what I said "I would like to try making my own but unfortunately I am horrible at cooking hehehe"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes" she looked at me seriously "but I think you could at least show the decency of having lunch with me no?" she smiled

"Alright" I sighed in defeat "I'll have lunch with you as a thanks for saving me back there. After this, we are even. Although Lanster-san asked you to look after me, I will spare you the trouble of having to worry about me. I would just like to be left alone."

"Ok" she accepted quickly. I looked at her with surprise on my face, I didn't expect her to just give up so easily. "but on the condition that if you are truly lost or need something you come to me first."

"Alright, alright..." I sighed again "as long as you and everyone else leaves me alone everything will be fine."

"So what do you like to do?" she asked as she started eating

I looked at her and was about to say _"Didn't you understand what I just said?"_ but she responded right as I opened my mouth

"You're already here, we're already sitting down, and we're already eating. So why not just chitchat with me this one time? Those conditions don't take effect till after lunch anyway" she smiled

"Why are you doing this?" I glared up at her "Is it because Lanster-san asked you?"

"No..." she responded softly, looking down at her food "its because I want to..." the look in her eyes when she said that--it was the look of someone who had lost something irreplaceable--as if they were trying to deny that it was lost by fooling themselves into preoccupation. Almost as if...they were blaming themselves for what happened...

"I...see..." was all I could say. That look on her eyes made me start thinking. There are things you can recognize at a glance, and I already know there was something different about her just from the way she looked at me when I introduced myself this morning. Maybe that's what has been bothering me all along...because I vaguely sensed that she might be burdened with the same pain I am. But what should I do? Should I risk hurting myself all over again based on a _feeling_ I am receiving from this girl? What if she just laughs at me? What if I get close to her and she decides to...No. I don't want to go through that again. It would be best if I just stayed away from her...for her sake as well as my own.

"Anyway have you settled in properly yet?" she broke the long silence between us "At home I mean"

"I still have a few boxes here and there, but I am almost done unpacking." I answered almost automatically

"I would offer to help you unpack but unfortunately I have my part time job to go to."

"Part time job?" my ears perked up. I was wanting to look for a job in the area just to have some pocket money. I didn't have problems with money, as a monthly allowance keeps being dropped into the account my parents left me. I figured one of my relatives or parent's friends or something felt sorry enough for me and decided to chip in a little. But if that's true...why didn't they take me in? why didn't they...*sigh* there's no point thinking about it now. "What do you do?"

"Eh?" she blushed a little and looked away. It was really cute, but I shook my head and tried to gain my composure "its embarrassing to say!" she shoved more food in her mouth to use as an excuse to dodge the question. "Why, are you looking for one?"

"Not really"

"Hmmmm~~" she looked at me in a teasing manner "but you looked so interested when I was talking about it" she grinned

I opened my mouth to respond when the warning bell ran signaling the end of lunch. I closed my empty bento box and stood up with an agitated look on my face. "Thank you very much for accompanying me. I hope I didn't waste more of your time than I needed to." I said in a half agitated half sarcastic tone "Now if you'll excuse me I am going back to class."

She smiled triumphantly as if it was her goal all this time to prod at me. I could have sworn I almost heard her chuckle as she packed her bento and stood up to follow me down the stairs. I took one last look behind me and floated back to the classroom.

~xX*Xx~

Finally...school is over. I began to pack up my bag as I prepared to leave. Testarossa stood next to my desk, as if wanting to say something to me. Of course I was ignoring her since I thought that we had an agreement of her leaving me alone after lunch. I stood up but found it difficult to leave the immediate vicinity of my desk as she stood there in front of me blocking my escape route.

"Is there something you needed?" I sighed finally.

"Lets go home together" she stated

"I thought we had a deal"

"We did, but I am breaking it. Now lets go."

She pulled my arm and started dragging me down the stairs and to the shoe lockers before I finally managed to break free when we past my section of the lockers. She kept going about 2 more isles down to her section and I had half a mind to escape. This girl just wont leave me alone for some reason and it was starting to get on my nerves. I put my normal shoes on and was about to make a dash for it when I ran into someone.

"Whoa!" the voice cried out

"I'm sorry!" I quickly apologized and got up about to take off again when--

"Stop her!" Testarossa's voice called out behind me

The next thing I knew my full momentum was suddenly brought to a halt as the hand of the person I ran into earlier grabbed my left wrist. My body instinctively reacted to the situation. I stomped my right foot on the ground and twisted my hips to give my right arm a swinging momentum as it surged forwards into the shoulder of the person who grabbed me. At the same time I broke the wrist lock on my left arm then grabbed his wrist firmly. My right hand, which connected with his shoulder, took a hold of it and with both arms I pulled him towards me and downward as I shot my right knee directly into his stomach. I didn't mean to do any of that...HONEST! I just...reacted. Before I knew what had happened, the body of this boy was laying on the ground trying to catch his breath.

"Yuuno-kun!" Testarossa ran over to him and started to look him over "Are you ok?! Hey! Wake up!" she started to panic.

"What happened?" a dark haired boy ran over to us "Fate, what is going on?" he asked "Yuuno! You ok?"

The blond boy who I just...reacted to (I swear I didn't mean it!) finally caught his breath and was groaning on the floor. Testarossa and this unknown boy picked him up and threw his arms around their shoulders to try to walk him to the infirmary.

"I'm sorry" I bowed. "I didn't know what happened, my body just reacted to what was going on. I didn't even realize what I was doing till it was over."

"No, I'm sorry it was all my fault." Testarossa spoke up "If I hadn't said anything none of this would have happened. I'm sorry Yuuno."

"Don't...mention...it" Yuuno said between breaths "that did...hurt though" he half laughed at me

"Let's take him to the infirmary" the dark haired boy spoke up

All four of us went to the infirmary under the gaze of several students, both those who witnessed the action and those who passed us along the hallway. I felt bad...I really did! I mean I just did all that to someone I didn't know! I hope they are going to be ok. We reached the doctor's office after a few minutes and Yuuno was looked over as we all waited outside. After several more minutes we were allowed to go back in.

"Alright you are fine" the school doctor spoke up "but whoever hit you knew exactly where to do it. Be glad you are still young and able to take such a hit hahaha." he looked at us "Make sure he gets some rest tonight. He'll be ok in the morning if he rests early tonight"

"Thanks very much Sensei" Testarossa bowed.

I walked over to Yuuno "I'm very sorry" I bowed once again "I didn't mean to do that"

"Well since its someone as pretty as you, I don't mind it so much haha" he tried to laugh it off

*whack* Testarossa's hand slapped the back of his head "Dont start getting any ideas now Yuuno-kun. She just transferred in so shes not available" she looks at the dark haired boy "_Especially _for you Onii-chan."

"I know, I know!" he waved his hands in front of him "I wouldn't even dream about it especially when I have someone else in mind."

"Anyway" Testarossa stood next to me "This is Scrya, Yuuno" she pointed to my...erm...attacker." my boyfriend. And this "she pointed to the other boy "is Harlaown, Crono. My best friend from back when we were kids."

Both boys bowed at me.

"And this dangerous little girl" she pointed at me with a large grin on her face "is..."

"Takamachi, Nanoha" I bowed to them "I'm sorry about what happened."

"I'm sorry I scared you" Scrya answered "remind me not to do that again" he touched his stomach

"I'm so sorry Scrya-san" I said once again

"Yuuno" he responded "you are a friend of Fate's right? So please call me Yuuno"

"Crono works for me as well" Harlaown spoke up

I nodded to them both as a gesture that I had acknowledged their requests. I looked at Testarossa with a slightly depressed look which she seemed to catch on to. She opened her mouth to say something but got interrupted.

"So tell me Yuuno" Crono tried to lighten the mood "how does it feel to get beat by a girl?"

"let me recover a little and I'll show you"

"Don't fight" Testarossa jumped in between them "or else I'll have Takamachi-san here take care of both of you" she smiled at me making me look down in embarrassment. She looked at the clock on the wall then over to me "Its getting late, we should go Takamachi-san"

"Eh?"

"Crono, please make sure Yuuno gets home safely...and doesn't get hit by another girl." she teased "I'll escort Takamachi-san home then head to work."

"Alright see you later Fate" the two boys said simultaneously as Testarossa grabbed my arm and pulled me outside towards the school gate.

"Testarossa-san..."

"Fate"

"Eh?"

"F-a-t-e" she turned around to face me "we're friends now aren't we?" she tilted her head

I sighed in defeat "Fate...-san" I started "I can manage myself from here, you don't have to walk me home."

"How about I just walk you as far as my work then?" she compromised

I sighed once more. I know I am not going to lose this girl that easily so I just nodded in agreement. We started walking towards the general direction of my house and she followed me casually as if we had the same destination. The entire time she was playing 20 questions. *sigh* Why is she so curious? Why cant she understand that I just want to be left alone? Cant she understand the little hints I am giving? I don't want to be hurt again so please...I'm begging you...just leave me alone. But fate could be cruel sometimes...I meant _Fate_ fate, not the one walking next to me, although I am sure she could be cruel sometimes as well.

"Where did you learn how to do that?"

"Do what?" I responded

"Those moves you used to knock Yuuno down" she laughed softly "that was really cool"

"I was forced to learn them out of necessity"

"Necessity?" she looked at me

"Its nothing..."

"So you must like sports then"

"No, I'm not very athletic at all" I responded "I just learned a little bit of that just in case of emergency situations--"

"Like when someone randomly grabs your wrist to get your attention?" she teased

"Mou...!" I glared at her and she just laughed it off.

"I used to learn those kinds of things as well when I was younger..." she looked up at the sky "but I decided to quit."

"Why?" I looked over mildly interested

"What kind of jobs do you like to do?" she asked clearly avoiding my question.

"Why are you barraging me with so many questions?"

"I just want to get to know you better." she smiled "Besides, if you told me what kind of work you liked I could find one for you."

At this point I just gave up. No matter what I did, this girl was stuck on me. I might as well try to make her happy and she might leave me alone. "I'm interested in baking things, cooking, and making sweets."

"So like a bakery or a cafe is what you are interested in"

"Yes"

"I see" she started pondering, probably racking her brain for nearby stores that could use people

"Are you sure your work is this way?" I asked her as we both turned the last corner and stopped in front of my house.

"Hm? Oh, no it was a bit further back. I just wanted to know where you lived that's all" she smiled "its not that far from my house" she pointed down the street "I live maybe two blocks over."

"So you tricked me" I glared

"Yup" she nodded smiling

"Anyway" I sighed "I'll see you at school tomorrow...Fate-san"

"Take care Takamachi-san" she waved and started heading back up the street towards her work.

I walked up to my door then stopped. I turned around and ran back to my gate.

"Nanoha!" I called over to her

She turned around and looked at me

"Call me...Nanoha..." I looked down a little embarrassed _"What the hell am I doing?!" _I screamed at myself _"Why am I getting so friendly with her already?! *argh!*"_

She smiled at me and bowed slightly, but never taking her eyes off me "Take care then...Nanoha"

I could have sworn my heart skipped a beat when she called my name. I stood there and watched her turn around and continue on up the street. I stood and watched till she was out of sight before slowly walking back to my house and closing the door. I leaned against it and had to remind myself to breathe as I replayed that scene over and over again in my mind. I removed my shoes and dropped my bag on the floor as I ran upstairs into my bedroom and crashed on my bed. I didn't bother changing from my uniform as I laid there, recollecting the events of the day.

_"That girl is a strange one" _I thought _"Testarossa, Fate...could she also be..."_ those were the last words that came through my exhausted mind. My eyes grew heavy and my body limp as the warmth and security of my own bed enveloped me and allowed me to release the tensions of the day through much wanted sleep...

* * *

_A/N Note to self: Approach Nanoha from the FRONT where she wont go crazy on me on accident. Hehehe. Well I am pretty sure that by now you all realized this was Nanoha's chapter. I honestly don't know what else to say other than "That had to hurt". The green link is below once again! Please press it and let me know the good, bad, ughleh of this chapter. Oh right! In case you guys were wondering why I was using "Testarossa" instead of "Fate" for some parts, was to try and show the level of relationships from Nanoha's POV. During most of the time she wasn't even close friends with Fate, she didn't even know Yuuno until Fate called his name, and didn't know anything about Crono until he was introduced. I hope that makes sense to you guys o.O if not please tell me and I will clarify next chapter. Your reviews mean a lot...seriously. It not only shows support, but also allows me to understand things that you guys see--which I, 90% of the time, don't see. Thank you in advance for all the support and I hope you would continue to do so as I forge ahead and unfold this story. *bows*_


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N I understand lots of you are frustrated at the pairings so far and because it clearly contradicts what I had posted on the description of this story. I know even *more* of you will want to kill me after this chapter is over XD. Of course I could always just have the boyfriend and girlfriend do *this* and *that* and other things people in that level of relationship normally do hehehe! *ahem* Sorry had to get that out of my system hehe. Anyway! Here goes chapter 3!!!_

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* * *

_**~~ Chapter 3 ~~**

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep-click* I reached out from under my bed and shut off the alarm. It was set an hour earlier than I normally have it on. I immediately sat up and looked at a quite shocked Linith who was standing in the doorway.

"Good morning Linith" I called out

"Good...morning..." she responded slowly, walking over to my bedside and putting her left hand on her head and her right on mine "You...don't...seem to have a fever" she continued to look at me suspiciously "Why are you up so early?"

I could only grin at her as I jumped out of bed and started rushing to get myself prepped. "There is something I want to do that's why" I smiled at her as she followed me towards the bathroom, keeping me under observation to be sure I wasn't "broken".

"And what is that you wanted to do?" she asked cautiously "I hope you aren't planning on doing something silly again--like trying to put lizards into Arf's bag, you know she hates that."

"Oh please Linith" I sighed a little as I brushed my hair "I did that as a kid, I wouldn't do that now."

"Knowing you, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a komodo dragon under her bed"

"Is mom waiting?"

"As always your mother is the first to be there. I would almost swear she sleeps in her seat."

"Mom always tended to be a 'night' person. Had you told me she was a vampire I would have believed you without question"

"So what is it you wanted to do?" she asked as she held my uniform out

"There's someone I want to go to school with" I said throwing on my uniform

"Do you mean Yuuno?" she asked adjusting my uniform as we worked together to make it presentable

"No, it's someone else"

Linith froze

"Its a girl! Dont worry!"

She gave me a glare that said about 50 different things at once but all meant the same thing: "Something isn't right here"

"Thanks for the help" I said as I ran down the stairs to the dining room and sat down "Itadakimasu~!"

"Good morning, Fate" Mom lowered her paper and greeted me properly "you are early today. Something going on?"

"Yeah" I said between munching "A new transfer student has been assigned to me, so I figured I would at least walk her to school for a few days."

Mom's eyes narrowed a little "Are you interested in this girl?" she asked with an even voice

"Uwa! *cough*cough*" I choked on my toast "MOM! That's not funny!"

"That still doesn't answer my question"

"I am just doing my job"

"So what about your boyfriend?"

"He knows she was assigned to me, he'll understand" I said as I finished the last of my breakfast and started bringing my dishes to the sink. "Besides, I have to protect her from falling into their slimy claws"

Mom chuckled to herself a little and continued to read her paper "Take care then, Fate" she said without as much as looking up, as if she had a 3rd Eye or something.

"I'm heading out!" I called as I opened the door and rushed out.

"Be careful now!" Linith called. "Maybe I should go thank this new person" she said to Precia after shutting the door "because of them, Fate is actually learning to get up early."

"Maybe we should invite them to dinner sometime" Precia looked up and took a sip of tea. "Have Fate bring this person over on Saturday, I would very much like to meet them."

~xX*Xx~

Although I arrived here early like I had planned, one thing I _didn't_ plan was how I was going to greet her. Should I just pretend that I had just arrived and it was a coincidence? Should I say its my duty as class president? Or should I just tell her the truth that I actually got up early just because I wanted to walk to school with her? I debated my options for roughly 2 mins before the gate opened and she stepped out. I froze for a second, but just enough for her to notice me as she shut her gate. "Um....hi?"

She glared at me for a second before responding "Good morning, Fate-san" she greeted "what are you doing here?" she asked despite already knowing the answer.

"I...um...er...I-I just arrived on coincidence" I settled looking at her sheepishly

"I see.." she crossed her arms and gave me the look that plainly stated _"We both know you are making excuses, but keep going"_

"Its my duty as inchou?"

"To walk me to school. Mmmhmmm..."

"Fine!" I surrendered "I just wanted to walk to school with you today"

"Now wasn't that really easy to say"

"But I thought you would say 'no' to it"

"You're right. I am going to say 'no'." I looked down dejected at her response "But I know you wont leave me alone anyway, so I will allow it just for now."

I looked up suddenly at her response and could see a small smile creeping up her face to my reaction "Lets go then...Nanoha."

"Does your boyfriend know about all this?"

"Yes...well, not really but he'll understand. You were assigned to me after all"

"Poor Yuuno-san."

"He's a guy. He'll live, besides Crono with is with him

"So what made you want to walk with me today?"

"I wanted to get to know you better" I admitted

"You can do that at school"

"You run from me at school"

"That's because you chase me at school" she countered

"That's because you run from me at school" I looped the conversation, laughing a little bit. "But seriously...I don't really have any friends besides those two--and they are both guys." I looked shyly away from her a little bit "I sorta wanted a girlfriend--I mean a girl that's my friend!" I threw my hands up in front of me in an attempt to clear up any misunderstandings.

"I see" she responded normally, seemingly unphased by what I had said. "And you thought I could be that person"

"Yes" I nodded

"And if I say 'no'?"

"I'll keep forcing myself on you until you say 'yes'."

"You know I could file for harassment" she threatened as we crossed the street

"But you wont" I grinned at her

"What makes you think I wont?" she narrowed her eyes, daring me to answer

"Because" I turned to face her "I'm the only friend you have and you would have done it yesterday if you really wanted to"

She opened her mouth to reply once again but when nothing came out I just smiled at her triumphantly. She glared at me a few moments before saying "You can wipe that smile off your face now"

"Hai, hai" I looked up still smiling, taking in the sun. "You've changed a lot the past two days" I noted. "You aren't as hard to approach as you were the first day."

"No, I just know that you wont leave me alone no matter what." giving me another glare "So I just decided to make this as little of a headache as possible."

"It's nice that you loosened up enough to allow me to walk to school with you." I noticed a box off the corner of my eye "You made that?" I looked at her bento box

"Yeah, I make it every morning" she raised it and looked at it curiously "And no, I haven't 'loosened up' you just forced me to walk with you to school."

"Don't mind the little details now--Hey!!! Yuuno! Crono!" I called out as we approached the gate.

"Hmm so _that's_ where you went to this morning" Yuuno looked at us "Good morning Takamachi-san"

"Good morning" Crono nodded

"Well she's mine to take care of" I instantly huggled Nanoha and started patting her head like a pet, causing her to stiffen. The next moment I realized I was lying on the floor with my vision pointing up at the blue sky.

"I'm sorry!" Nanoha called out as she leaned over me and offered her hand "Reflex..."

"Ow...*sniffle*" I pretended to cry "That was *sniff* that was mean Nanoha *hic*" looking at her panic a little "I'm kidding!" I started laughing "But seriously that did hurt" I put a hand behind my head. Apparently, when I hugged her from the side, she grabbed my torso and pivoted me over her leg and not-quite-so-gently flipped me on the ground.

"Mou!" Nanoha raised her head blushing. "I don't care about you anymore Fate-chan!" she said as she stormed off towards the classroom

"Nanoha?" I called out to her as she rounded the corner and into the gate "Oh boy..."

"Looks like you have quite the job ahead of you inchou" Crono stated

"That joke didn't help either" Yuuno added

"This is going to be one heck of a day..." I stated as I was helped to my feet.

~xX*Xx~

"Wait up!" I called to Nanoha as I finally caught up to her in the hallway in front of our classroom door "I'm so sorry I scared you like that" I bowed

"Dont worry about it" she sighed "It was a reflex, so we're even" she opened the door "Good mor--"

"Kyaaa~~~~!!! Takamachi-sama!!!" the girls in the classroom all called out causing Nanoha, as well as myself, to jump back a little bit.

"Eh?" we both gasped as guys and girls from our class and the neighboring class swarmed us "Nani? Nani?!" she began to panic

"Is it true Scrya, Yuuno-san was harassing you?" one student asked

"Is it true you took him down with one shot?"

"Eh? I heard she did a multi-hit combo on him!" a guy shouted

"Some students are saying that she even threw Testarossa-san this morning!"

I tried to cover it up but my delayed reaction only confirmed their suspicions "Oh great..." I sighed

"So it _is_ true!" one of the girls pointed out

"Ne, Testarossa-san. As Scrya-san's girlfriend do you have any comments?" yet another asked me to my surprise

"Ah...eh..erm.." was all I could say and I looked over at Nanoha who was saying practically the same thing.

"Ne, tell us what happened!!" they started pushing closer and closer to us.

"I heard she beat up 30 guys at her last school!" another one yelled

*Gasp* "Is that true?!" Miyuki-chan asked with a pen and paper in her hand. Satou, Miyuki: She is one of our classmates and second in command of the newspaper club. Her hobbies are listening to gossip, writing gossip, tracking down rumors and-ow someone just stepped on my foot-relentlessly digging for information the moment she has even the slightest lead on something. Note to everyone who meets her: If you give even the _slightest_ indication you are hiding something she might be interested in...let's just say you are in for a long day.

By this time, Nanoha and I were back to back and I could feel her body starting to tense up from the atmosphere. "_This isn't good"_ I told myself "_If she goes crazy here, we'll end up with three classes worth of students in the infirmary."_ I took in a deep breath to try to break up the commotion when--

"That...is..._ENOUGH!_" a sharp, yet commanding yell came from the side. All eyes turned to Teana Lanster--check that all eyes turned to the _bow and arrow_ she was holding. "Homeroom is starting soon. Return to your classes _immediately!_" Not waiting for any reaction, she pulled back on the bow and fired the arrow just above our heads and lodged it on the wall to show that she wasn't kidding.

Before you could even say "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood" all the students ran back into their classrooms leaving Nanoha and myself spinning silly in the hallway, unable to move. Lanster walked over to us, past us, then grabbed the arrow from the wall. "Are you two ok? Testarossa-senpai? Takamachi-senpai?"

"Y-yeah" I nodded finally calming down "Thanks very much, Lanster-san"

"Teana will do" she stated matter-of-factly in her usual _Student Council_ tone

"Thank you Teana-san" Nanoha bowed

"I will have to talk to both of you later" Teana said as she looked at the classroom doors at the people stealing glances at them "about the incident that is flying around. I don't want misconceptions to turn into anything dangerous so please come by the Student Council office today lunch so we can--"

"Tia~~!" another voice called behind her. Teana started to turn around before she leaned forwards as the owner of the voice almost pounced on her "Here you are!" she called and pulled Teana's back against her chest

"S-Subaru!"

Nakajima, Subaru. Despite being cheerful and energetic most of the time, she is fairly timid, afraid of being hurt and even more afraid of hurting others, and was thus initially reluctant to train in Strike Arts. After much convincing from Teana however, she vowed to put aside her past weakness and become more like her. Subaru exhibits a surprisingly willful side at times, deciding to join the martial arts club despite her father and sister's opposition. She is quite close with Teana, and is willing to help her even if Teana is reluctant to accept it.

"Hmm?" she asked then looked at us "Ah! Nice to meet you" she bowed "I am Nakajima, Subaru. I'm in the same class as Tia here."

Nanoha and I introduced ourselves.

"Nakajima" I stated looking up "You wouldn't happen to be related to Nakajima, Ginga would you? The famous newspaper editor in Crono's class?"

"Crono?" she tilted her head

"Ah sorry," I blushed a little "I meant Harlaown, Crono class 3-F"

"Oh yeah!" she smiled "I'm her sister"

"Ah I see" I smiled back "So what brings you to the 3rd year's area?"

"Well homeroom is about to start and Tia went missing, so" she grabbed Teana a little more tightly "I came to retrieve her"

"Subaru!" Teana yelled "let go of me!" clearly blushing at the embarrassing moment

"You are far too stiff Tia" Nakajima leaned close and not-so-discretely planted a light kiss on Teana's cheek "see?"

Teana stood still for a moment before her body started shaking with anger. Her face turning so red it could have stopped traffic. "Subaru no...BAKA!!!!" she screamed out and started chasing the energetic girl down the hallway "Stop right there!" she yelled out continuing the chase and eventually disappearing down the hall.

Nanoha and I looked at each other and was about to open the door to the classroom yet again before the bell rang and our instructor, Carim-sensei, had a small disappointed look on her face. Nanoha and I were about to explain everything when-- "You two...stand here in the hallway...NOW"

~xX*Xx~

I stretched to loosen the tension as the lunch bell finally rang. I glanced over at Nanoha who looked like she was going to attempt an escape from the crowd of students who was undoubtly going to swarm her. "Dont even think about it" I stated "the more suspicious you act, the faster they are going to notice you and the more you are going to fuel their desire for gossip."

"Fine" Nanoha sighed and got up "let's go eat then before--"

"Anou..." Miyuki-chan interrupted us "if you are planning on escaping you better do it soon" she pointed behind her to what seemed like a pack of wolves about to charge at us "because I dont think they are going to give you a way out if you linger any longer."

"Ahahahah..." I laughed nervously just before I remembered something. "Ah Nanoha--" she looked at me "we have to go see Teana-san, she wanted to talk to us at lunch today." I continued

"Oh, alright" Nanoha picked up on what I was trying to do "Sorry Satou-san, we will have to decline an interview"

"Eeeeeeeeh?" Miyuki looked disappointed at letting the latest scoop slip through her fingers "Fine, I'll let you go if you promise to give me one later"

"Let's go Nanoha" I said as I grabbed her wrist and made a dash for the door and towards the Student Council Office.

~xX*Xx~

"Welcome" a voice called as we entered the office "Have a seat." Teana said as she sat behind her desk.

There was a large table set up in the middle of the room and we took a couple of the seats next to each other. I couldn't help but ponder as to the purpose of the other chairs.

"That's for everyone else that is going to be here." Teana answered as if being able to read my mind "They should be here shortly."

As if on que there was a knock at the door followed by several voices proclaiming their entrance.

"Welcome everyone" Teana spoke, her mood a lot lighter than it normally was.

Coming through the door was Nakajima, Subaru (the girl we met earlier), our homeroom teacher Carim-sensei, Yuuno, Crono, and another girl I have never seen before. Nanoha and I stood up to greet them all as they took their individual places around the table as well. Before we all sat down, Teana asked us all to introduce ourselves. We all went around the room and finally got to the new unknown girl.

"Greetings everyone" she bowed "my name is Nakajima, Ginga. It's a pleasure to meet you." Nakajima, Ginga: Subaru's sister, who's a year older and in the same class as Crono and Yuuno.. Ginga was the one who taught Subaru her "Strike Arts" techniques. She used to be part of the Martial Arts club but decided to quit for some reason and go on another path. She is the leader of the Newspaper club and its main editor, which explains a lot as to why she would be here with us. If you wanted to make or break rumors that were circulating around the school...this was the girl to go to.

"Now that everyone is here, please be seated." Teana spoke up "I am sorry to have called you all here during your lunch time, but that was the only way to keep the other students from noticing. I didn't want this to be a entirely formal meeting either so let's all have lunch together while we discuss matters."

"Hnnnnn~~" The younger sister spoke up "you really can be civil sometimes cant you Tia"

Teana shot her a look that basically said "_Shut it Subaru!_"

"Now if possible" Teana spoke again while we all started eating together "I would like to know what happened if you all don't mind"

We started talking about the incident and then shifted to the incident this morning. Questions popped up here and there that were more pointed towards the rumors being spread around school. Some were good questions, others were silly, while others yet were completely off the wall.

"So you didn't beat up 30 guys in your last school?" Crono asked "Ow!" he yelped after I not so discreetly stomped on his foot.

"I am sorry to have caused everyone trouble" Nanoha bowed a little "my body reacted to the situation just like it always had." she paused and looked around at everyone "If Teana-san hadn't stepped in when she did, I probably would have reacted again when all those people were swarming us in the hallway."

"That would have been interesting to see--"

"Yuuno!" I yelled across the table

"I see" the older Nakajima spoke up "so that is what happened. Alright" she looked at Teana "I'll do what I can to dispel this rumor, however please understand that I cant stop it completely, it will be up to Takamachi-san to control herself so that these rumors don't pop up again."

"Thank you very much Nakajima-san" Nanoha looked at her

"Ginga if you don't mind" she responded "Subaru and I share the same name so it might be confusing"

"Subaru is fine with me also" the younger sister chimed in

"Alright, thank you" Nanoha responded "Also, call me Nanoha please."

"Dont thank us yet Nanoha-san" Ginga spoke up "We haven't done anything yet and I cant promise to make these rumors go away. The best I can do is reroute it from being overly ridiculous, I mean next thing you know, people are going to be saying you could fly or something."

We all shared a light laugh as we finished up our meals. Carim-sensei doing nothing but taking in the conversation as a observer more than moderator.

"Is this all ok with you Gracia-sensei?" Teana stated "I wanted to get an instructor's approval before we did anything else. Since you are their homeroom teacher, I figured you were the best choice."

"Hmm...I approve of the methods and reasonings, however." she put her cup down "I would like to suggest that Takamachi-san be more conscious and more in control over her body's reactions. I don't want to see my own students ending up in the infirmary because of a simple misunderstanding. Can you do that for me Takamachi-san?"

"I'll do my best Carim-sensei."

"Dont worry, I will help you out as best as I can" I playfully huggled Nanoha and felt her body tense up for a few seconds before finally relaxing and eventually pushing me away with a blushed face and slight anger in her eyes for embarrassing her.

"Now now don't tease her" Carim-sensei laughed

"All right" Teana stood up "thank you all for coming. Lunchtime is over and classes will begin soon, so please make ready and be on your way"

~xX*Xx~

"I'm so sorry about those two, Nanoha" I bowed apologetically "they can be really insensitive sometimes"

"It's alright" she responded "I just hope these rumors get dispelled soon so everyone will leave me alone."

"That will take a while"

"I wish it were instant"

"No matter what, you _did_ beat Yuuno up so I am sure they wont forget about you for a while." I looked over at her as she sighed "But don't worry, as long as you remain a good girl, they will eventually get bored of you and leave you alone" I couldn't resist petting her then. She glared at me fiercely and I responded "Seems we have to get rid of that aggressive personality of yours hehe."

"I am _NOT _aggressive!"

"No you aren't" I teased "you just forcefully keep everyone away from you and send people who touch you into the infirmary"

"Mou!" she stormed off "I don't care about you anymore!"

_"She is cute when shes angry"_ I couldn't help but thinking.

~xX*Xx~

"Hey Fate!" Yuuno called over to me as school ended

"Hey!" I waved and ran over to him "What is going on?"

"Well I wanted your opinion on parts of this project" he opened up his small book

"What about it?" I leaned in closer unknowingly, trying to get a better view.

"Hmm" he adjusted his glasses "I cant seem to decide which one of these two to choose, that's why I wanted a girl's opinion." he turned his head towards me

"Well I think--" I turned to face him and out lips touched unintentionally

"...!" We both looked at each other, frozen to our positions with our lips still touching. It was...a soft and warm feeling...it...its hard to describe. I could tell neither one of us were breathing as that would have triggered us to separate. After a few moments my body decided that if finally needed air. I gasped and turned away quickly blushing to my ears. Yuuno did the same and looked down at the ground

"I'm sorry!" he said "T-th-that was an accident"

I didn't respond for a few moments, my mind still registering everything that just happened. Unfortunately...my senses overrode my mental reasoning and I found myself saying something clearly unfitting for the situation "...again..." I whispered

"Eh?!" he turned to me surprised.

"...Again..." I repeated a little louder turning to him "...please?"

Yuuno must have also lost all sorts of reasoning since he leaned in closer to seal the gap instead of doing the right thing and pulling back. We connected once again and parted, connected again and slowly started to get more and more into it. After a few more moments Yuuno's watch beeped, shaking us out of our trans.

"I-I-I should go" he stated

"Y-yeah...." I agreed "I'll see you tomorrow ok?"

He briskly walked away from me and vanished around the back of the building. I stood there stunned for another little while before I felt a hand land on my shoulder "Eeek!" I jumped

"So" Nanoha came around my side then stood in front of me "you two really are dating."

I blushed heavily and looked down wishing that I could die right there. "W-w-w-w-w-were you watching?" I finally managed to get out

"No I only saw the last bit" she answered "the part where you two started ki--"

I put my hands on her mouth to silence her "Please don't say it" I blushed harder

She moved my hands out of the way "Ok, I wont say it."

"Dont tell anyone!" i started to panic

"I wont! I wont!" she raised her hands in front of her

"Promise?!"

"Fate-san!"

"I'm sorry" I bowed my head "it was just my first time and--"

"Oh my god..." she gasped dramatically

"What?!" I looked at her shocked

"I never thought your first kiss would be like that"

"I didn't either ok! and _don't say that word!_" I started flailing my arms.

"Alright, alright!" she said "lets go home."

~xX*Xx~

"I'm home~~" I called as I entered the house

"Welcome home, Fate" Linith called as she greeted me at the door "what's wrong?"

"N-n-nothing!" jumped too suspiciously

"Hmmm~~" she grinned and leaned to whisper into my ear "I smell a familiar fragrance on you" she sniffed a couple times "its Yuuno-san isnt it?"

"What are you a dog?!" I jumped back mainly from shock

"What did he kiss you or something?"

". . ."

Her eyes widened in shock "Congrats!!" she held my hands happily "and I was just joking when I made that statement!"

"What is going on?" Mom came to greet us

"Precia-san!" Linith started "Fate and Yuuno-san--nmmmph!"

I threw my hands around her mouth "Nothing mom eheheh..." I gave a stiff laugh

"Alright" she turned around "dinner is almost ready so you two should come help me set the table"

"Be there in a bit!" I called as she walked back into the kitchen. "Please don't tell mom" I begged Linith as I released the hold on her mouth "please?" I put on my best hurt puppy face.

"I...don't know~~~" she teased

"Pleeeeeease?" I dropped to my knees

"Oh alright" she gave up. I jumped up and gave her a hug "but you have to tell me in detail what happened or else I am going to tell Arf about it." she threatened

"Ok ok anything!" I agreed immediately

"Hey! Set the dishes!" mom called from the kitchen

"On our way!" Linith called "Let's go, Fate"

"Hai."

* * *

_A/N Now I know a lot of you are going "ZOMG THEY JUST KISSED!" and my answer would be "yes they did, because as far as this story is concerned they are still boyfriend and girlfriend" Now dont start going crazy on me. I am *still* building up the story like I mentioned above, so that means I want the characters to have solid based relationships before I *insert spoilers here* and stuff. If you would do me the favor of just bearing through these situations just a *little* bit more...you will see why I spent all this time in preparation...Muahahahahaha!!! *kof*kof* Well the usual ramblings go here. The green link is below, please tell me what you think ^.^ The rest of the crew have yet to show themselves so please don't think the rest of the story will be like this. All in due time. Thanks once again *bows*_


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N I am sorry this came out late. I have been seriously busy with lots of things IRL. I am sure lots of you are still pretty mad about what happened last chapter XD Dont worry, all this is still buildup. However if you cant stand it for now then please go ahead and take a break. Once I mark this story as complete then by all means read it again and then you'll understand why I placed everything as it is. For those of you with the iron will to take everything as it comes...I present to you the next chapter. *bows*_

_

* * *

_

**~~ Chapter 4 ~~**

"Hey! Wake up!" A voice yelled from the hallway as the sound of the alarm rang from next to my bed.

*ugh* "I'm up! I'm up!" I yelled back, shifting the sheets off of my body as I slowly sat up on the bed. I glanced over at the clock, which registered 5:47 in the morning. _"Let's get started..." _ My mind began to slowly run towards full speed as I shook the sleepiness away from my body. I walked over to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror, noticing my dull red eyes and frizzled blond hair. I splashed water on my face to rid myself of any lingering drowsiness while tying my hair into a low pony tail.

"About time you're awake," the owner of the previous voice called from behind me.

"Good morning, Arf," I greeted without even turning around.

"Good morning," she greeted back. "Training again?"

"Always..."

"Don't injure yourself too much now," she stated as she turned around to head downstairs. "I'll have breakfast ready for when you get back, alright?"

I nodded at her words as I put my running clothes on and grabbed my shinai bag. I went downstairs to the front door and strapped my shoes on. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and headed out into the cool morning.

_"It's a little colder than I expected,"_ I thought to myself as I began a normal pace, _"but this should still be within my limits. I can't sacrifice my training for some stupid reasons."_ I braced myself and continued jogging up the large hill to where my normal training spot was. It took me roughly seventeen minutes to get to the top, where a small cemetery was located. I bowed and paid my respects to those who had passed on before moving to the back, where my spot was located. "Perfect." I took a deep breath to clear my senses before drawing my shinai and beginning the usual morning routine.

I faced the tree that served as my opponent while turning my body sideways, and raised the shinai level with my eyes. I drew my arms back and bent my knees in preparation before I lunged towards my target with a circular strike.

"Keh..." I spat out, disappointed at myself after my strike hit the tree. I had missed pinpoint accuracy on my target by seven centimeters. "Not good," I muttered to myself, jumping back before executing the strike again. It took me yet another four tries before I managed to hit my target. After looking at it, satisfied, I went to the bag and pulled out the spare shinai I had before charging my target yet again. This time I was dual wielding weapons. I looked towards my "enemy", imagining possible blocking reactions. _"Now is a battle of accuracy and agility!"_ I told my body as I began to dance around my target, striking all blows at roughly the same spot all the way around. Unfortunately, being human does have its limits. No matter how fast, how powerful, or how accurate, I was still only human. Before long, my body was so exhausted that I had to use the shinai as crutches on my way home.

"Jeez what the hell happened to you?!" Arf screamed at me when she answered the door. "Did you get into a fight with a pack of rabid wolves?!"

"Very...funny..." I breathed, out trying to regain my energy. "I'm going...to the...shower," I said, staggering upstairs.

"Breakfast is ready!" she called after me. "Don't take too long, now!"

~xX*Xx~

"Thank you for the meal," I said after finishing the decent sized breakfast. "I should get going."

"I'll be back tomorrow," she spoke from behind me. "I have some extra things I need to do at the shop today, so I'll probably crash there tonight."

"Understood." I nodded at her words as I put my shoes back on. "I'll be going then," I called behind me as I walked out the door with my school bag and shinai on my back.

The trek to school was the same as always: slow, mostly quiet...utterly boring. At least, that was, until I got to the crosswalk, where--

"Oiiiii~!" A voice came booming from behind me. Instead of turning around, I decided to pretend I didn't hear anything and kept walking. "Oii~ jeez!" The voice got louder as its owner got closer to me.

I decided to finally stop and turn around. "Good morning, Suzuka."

Tsukimura, Suzuka. A rich girl that lived in a mansion with a lot of cats...and I mean a _lot_ of cats. If I had to count how many cats there were in that place I would spend probably the next hour trying to put them all into one room, and I doubt that that would even all fit! She was normally a nice, calm, and level-headed girl, but she became an utter demon when she was playing sports. She was one of the very few people that actually talked to me on a near constant basis. Why? Well because she was normally--

"There you are!" A more aggressive voice called out to us. We both turned around and looked at the person who was marching over to us, looking a little angry. "Why didn't you wait for me!?" she pouted.

"Good morning to you, too," I responded.

"Now, now Alisa-chan." Suzuka patted the other girl's head. "We didn't leave you, it's just that we ended up a little bit further from our normal spot."

Alisa Bannings. Outspoken, dog-loving Anglophone and multimillionaire heiress, who got angry when people kept secrets from her. She was also the reason that Suzuka talked to me on a near constant basis. For some reason it was believed that the two of us would start fighting if she wasn't there, but I knew better. Alisa thought that I might hit on Suzuka, hence the reason why she played the little "friendly rival" relationship on me. She was another good friend of mine, and was almost the complete opposite of Suzuka.

The three of us continued on our way towards school, busily chatting away—well, the two of them were chatting. All I did was listen and answer questions that were directed towards me. All in all, it was a normal day, but it seemed like something was missing...something important.

"TESTAROSSA!!!" A loud yell erupted behind us.

_"Ah, right, that is what it was..."_ I scolded myself, finally remembering.

Alisa, Suzuka, and all the other students who were walking the same route as us, all turned around towards the newcomer from behind.

"Testarossa! I won't let you run away from our duel!" the male continued.

*sigh* I turned around to face the captain of the Kendo club. "I'm sorry. It must have been so mediocre that I had completely forgotten about it," I declared sarcastically.

"How dare a delinquent like you make fun of the Kendo club!" he declared angrily "I'll settle that issue with you _right now!_" He was pulling out a bokken as he raged.

"Do you really think you can?"

"Oi! Don't provoke him!" Suzuka called to me.

"I'll crush that confident aura of yours, you murdering delinquent!"

There are very few things in this world that make me angry, and even fewer make me upset. However, that was one of those things that made me _absolutely_ furious.

"Suzuka..." I calmly spoke to her.

"W-what?" She hesitated, noticing the subtle anger in my voice.

"Hold this for me." I gave her my shinai case without looking and raised my angry, shaking fists into a fighting stance.

"It's time I taught you your place, you murderer!" he yelled as he charged at me. When I entered his striking range, he swung the bokken downwards. "What the-?!" he yelped, surprised.

I had taken a step back, bent my knees, and used them as a shock absorber, meanwhile reaching up with my right hand and stopped the bokken by grabbing the "blade" end. It hurt...it really, really, really hurt--at least my mind would have told me so, if it weren't for the fact that my anger overrode all my other senses.

"Even if you are a student," I said, glaring into his shocked eyes, "don't think you can insult me like that and leave here alive." I slammed my left fist into his face and grabbed the weapon from his hands. I then crouched down and swept his feet from under him with my leg, watching him topple to the ground.

"Guh," he spat out as he tried to recover.

I, however, knew better than to do something as stupid as to give them a second chance of striking me. I walked up to him when he got on all fours and kicked him in the side of the stomach to make him roll over to his back. I raised the bokken he had tried to hit me with earlier over my head into a finishing strike, while completely ignoring the pain that was coursing through my bruised right hand.

"Now you die." I glared at him like a judge about to pass a death sentence. "Hikken..."

"STOP!" Alisa grabbed me from behind and pulled me backwards. "You mustn't!" she yelled into my ear, forcing me to lower my arms to try to protect my eardrums.

"Keh. You got lucky," I glared at the boy on the ground while I let myself get dragged out by Alisa. I looked around at all the other students watching before dissipating my anger into the atmosphere and picking up my bag. "Ugh." I clenched my teeth as the pain from my right hand finally registered in my brain.

"You should go to the nurse's office," Suzuka said, wrapping my hand in one of her handkerchiefs. I knew that she wanted to scold me like a little kid for acting like one, but she held herself back in courtesy for the surrounding situation.

"Come on, let's go." Alisa grabbed my bag for me as we continued towards the school.

~xX*Xx~

"You feeling better?" Suzuka walked up to me during lunch break. "Let me see your hand."

I reached it out to her and she started to inspect it.

"Ow!" I pulled it back when she squeezed. "That hurt!"

"It should hurt." She glared at me. "I hope you learned your lesson"

"You two ready for lunch?" Alisa approached us, carrying her bento. "How is your hand?" She looked at it with a little flash of pain, as if it were on her own.

"Its fine," I answered while I picked up my bento, which Suzuka had made for me. "Let's go."

We made our way to a small section of the school, and onto the roof. This place was our usual eating spot, and it was nice and quiet. Practically no one knew about the place, so we had free reign over the entire area.

"It's really nice today," Suzuka commented as she started to lay out the tarp, then the picnic cloth. "Hopefully it's like this all week."

I merely nodded while looking up at the sky as if anticipating something. I couldn't help but look over at the two and how lovey-dovey they were being. "You two should get a room," I couldn't help but commenting.

Alisa jumped back at my statement, while Suzuka didn't seem fazed at all.

"W-what are you talking about?!" Alisa stammered. "I-it's not like that!"

"When did you two start going out?" I ignored her comment.

"Hmm~" Suzuka answered after thinking for a moment. "I would say just last week."

"I see," I grinned. "Who made the proposal?"

"She did," she responded, pointing at Alisa.

"Ho hoo~~" I looked at the other blond. "I didn't think you'd be that brave."

"Now, now don't fight," Suzuka held back the girl, who looked like she was about to punch me for teasing her. "Let's have lunch now, okay?"

"Alright, alright." Alisa gave up and picked up her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!" With that, she started chomping away.

"Must be hard," I whispered to Suzuka while observing the destruction machine. "Are you two at least happy?"

"Of course! Things are very, well, nice--a little bumpy sometimes, but it's worth it."

"Hey, quit acting like a couple of bad people and speak normally!"

"It's a secret between girls," I responded with a grin.

"I'm more girlish than you are!" she retorted.

"Alisa is right, you know," Suzuka agreed.

"Traitor..." I looked at them both, defeated.

~xX*Xx~

*Ding Dong~*

The sound of the school bell signaling the end of the day echoed through the classroom. I was finally well enough to take off the bandage that was wrapped around my hand. It was rather fortunate that nothing was broken; however, at that time I could have cared less.

"Hey," Alisa came up to me, disturbing my thoughts. "We're about to go to our club activities." She looked over at Suzuka who was making her way towards us. "What are you going to do? Go straight to work?"

"I have club activities also," I responded.

"You do?" Suzuka asked. "I don't remember you joining one."

"It's the _'fight people right after school'_ club," I sighed, looking out the window.

"You know, they wouldn't keep coming after you if you would just turn down their challenges," Suzuka sighed.

"I know." I looked back and them and gave them a sarcastic smile. "But you know me...I hate losing."

"I'll give you that much," Alisa nodded. "We better go. I don't want to be late again. See you around."

I waved at the two before grabbing my bags and making my way to the school yard and towards the gate.

_"They should be here soon enough."_ I stopped and kept my gaze forward. "So...shall we get started?" I said into the open as another member of the Kendo club showed himself.

"Testarossa," he said behind me, "we will never be satisfied until we've defeated you! Prepare yourself!"

"Make it quick," I stated as I dropped my bag. "I have work in two hours, and I can't be late."

~xX*Xx~

"Testarossa-san!" My fellow co-worker waved at me when I walked in The Shiny Sword Cafe. "Are you ok?"

"I'm alright, Alavon, thank you for asking." I nodded back to the girl behind the counter as I made my way towards the locker room. "By the way, is the mistress working today?"

"Yep," the girl nodded in response. "She's in the back room, sorting out some stuff. I suggest you go see her first. If you don't, she might take you off the floor since you wouldn't play with her a little bit."

*sigh* "I'll do it later," I whined, as I entered the locker room and started changing into my uniform. _"Why in the world did our mistress Radiant Beam choose a Lolita outfit for me anyway?"_ I complained as I stripped off my school clothes and suited up. _"I guess it pays the bills."_

"You look good," another co-worker commented on my appearance as I exited the locker room and adjusted my outfit. "You should wear that more often!"

"I feel like a little kid wearing this, Raiser," I responded and looked around. "How come _you_ guys get the normal outfits?"

"Because the Harem Mistress thinks it shows your...assets…quite well," the last co-worker joined in.

"When you say it, it sounds so perverted, Satashi." I instinctively wrapped my arms around me in an attempt to cover up, drawing laughter from the group. "I don't know what the hell she's thinking." I sighed. "Our mistress always does some weird things and it's borderline-" _It's borderline CRAZY,_ is what I wanted to say, but the reactions and facial expressions of the others clearly told me that I should not go any further.

"Borderline what?" Another voice came from behind me as its owner put their hands on my shoulders, causing me to stiffen. "I think it looks cute, don't you agree?"

"Hai!" I agreed and dashed forward a couple steps before turning around to face her. "I-I'm going to get started on the tables before we open."

"Alright everyone!" our mistress declared. "We open in five, and I want a good push for business tonight, alright?"

"Hai~!!!"

~xX*Xx~

"Phew," I sighed, wiping my forehead as I took out the trash after work. "At least my shift was easy tonight…not that many people, so things were thankfully easy." I walked back inside and got into the locker room. _"Wonder what I should cook tonight?"_ I thought to myself as I changed back into my school uniform.

"Testarossa-san," the mistress called out to me as I made my way to the front door.

"Yes?"

"Your mother came by earlier today." She handed me a small bag of cookies. "She wanted me to give you this and let you know that she misses you, and that you should at least go home once in a while."

"Thanks, mistress." I accepted them gratefully before turning around and leaving the store. "Night, guys!"

"She still hasn't gotten over it, has she?" Raiser asked, walking up to my old spot.

"It was so long ago and she still holds that strong a feeling. That's just..." Alavon paused, sighing from the register.

"Yeah, we're her family now. All we can do is provide support." RB nodded at the door. "She'll reconcile someday."

"That, or she'll just beat the tar out of anyone who goes against her," Satashi chuckled, earning a glare from everyone else. "What?!"

~xX*Xx~

The route home was a rather cold one, the wind picking up a little. I decided to try and take the alleyways, as they provided a bit of cover from the wind, and also a shortcut. The downside was that it was "dangerous" to people. Just like what happened years ago.

"Guh!" I heard a strange cry, followed by the loud clang of what sounded like a trashcan lid. I stopped momentarily to listen, and it sounded like there was some kind of struggle going on. Despite my body's warning to not go and investigate, my mind said to go anyway. For some silly reason, in battles between my mind and my body, my curiosity always won.

"Ah! No!" The voices started to grow louder as I move in closer and closer to the sounds.

"Hold still!" another voice spoke up.

"Hold her steady, will you?!" a third voice joined in.

I slowly crept up onto the scene and could see a girl being harassed by two guys. Judging from her clothes, she was a high school student from the next area over. Her brown hair was flying all over the place, and her blue eyes were wide in fear.

"Now be a good girl and we'll be nice to you," the first man chuckled. "Who knows...you might even enjoy it," he sneered as he towered over her.

The girl got up on her feet and tried to run, but the second man blocked her path and pushed her backwards into the waiting arms of his companion.

"Now, now," the second man spoke. "We still haven't gotten to know each other." He pulled out a knife from his pocket, making the girl stiffen.

"That's right," the first man whispered in her ear, while locking her shoulders with his arms. "We'll know each other _really _well by the end of the night."

"N...no," the girl sobbed weakly as the second man began to cut her blouse.

Images flashed through my mind, as if someone had opened the doors to a memory that I had sealed away, so long ago. My breathing began to get ragged, and my mind began to go berserk.

"Oooh~ that's nice," the second man commented as he cut her bra and pushed it aside. "Let's see what you have down here…" He began to lower the knife.

It was obvious that the girl was about to pass out in shock, as she seemed to have trouble breathing. It didn't help that the man holding her had begun to run his tongue all over her neck and face.

"HEY!" I jumped out from my hiding spot. Before I knew it, my arm had automatically thrown my school bag at the second man's surprised face. It hit him square on it and made him stagger. _"Great..."_ I thought _"how many fights can I get into in one day?"_

"What the-?!" The first man threw the girl on the ground and charged at me.

He threw a wide right punch, to which I ducked and sank my own punch to his side. I wasn't nearly as strong as he was, but I used my body weight and his momentum to increase its power. While he tried to recover, I delivered a combination strike towards his chin and torso, and was about to land the final hit towards his temple when I got kicked to the side.

"Ugh!" I breathed out as I got slammed into the wall by the second man. My mind went blank for a little bit.

"What's wrong, bitch?!" He slapped me across the face, causing me to fall to the ground. "Trying to be a hero?!" he mocked as he kicked my side, causing me to roll over. "Well then, you can be first!" He painfully pulled me up by my hair and slammed me into the wall.

The first man recovered and picked up the knife, signaling his partner to restrain me. The second man nodded and locked my arms in the same way as the other girl earlier.

"I'll pay you back for that," the first man sneered as he came up to me and started licking my face and tearing my blouse open with his hands. His partner laughed as he pushed me forward into him so that I couldn't escape.

"Looks like we'll start with you first," the man holding me laughed. "I'm sure you weren't expecting this to happen, now were you?"

I gritted my teeth and stared at the man in front of me, who drew closer with the blade.

_"You going to let this happen again?!"_ my mind screamed at me. _"You are far stronger than you were back then! Pull yourself together! You can take these guys!"_

My body steeled itself and kicked forward, right into the crotch of the first man. He howled in pain as he started to fall to his knees. At the same time, I raised my hands to the skies and dropped down almost to my knees. The second man tried to tighten his grip, and pulled backwards to try to keep me locked. I leaned my head back against his chest and, with all my power, jumped upwards, slamming my head into his chin and causing both of us to fall backwards to the ground.

"Ow," I muttered to myself as I rolled off of him and reached for the knife.

"You little bitch!" the second man screamed. "I'm going to-aaaaaahhhh!!!" He screamed as I stabbed the knife into his left thigh.

My mind was completely snapped at this point. My body started to become numb. I could barely feel the death-grip I had on the knife as I pulled it out slowly. I turned around to the first man, who was still recovering from the crotch shot, and kicked him across the face. My attention turned back to the second man, who was trying to get up.

"You-! You stabbed me, you fucking bitch!" he yelled.

I responded by kicking his chest and forcing him back on the ground before stabbing his other thigh, causing him to scream even louder.

"Yes..." I responded, almost emotionless. "I did." I pulled the knife back out and went back to the first man.

"No...please, don't kill me!" He started to beg.

"Take your friend," I said, "and never come back here again." I raised the knife over my head. "Or else…"

"Ahhhhhh!" he screamed as I plunged the knife into his shoulder, all the way to the hilt.

"...I'll kill you both," I whispered into his ear. I pulled the knife back out and stood so that they both could see me. I lifted the blade to my lips and licked the red fluid clean off of it.

"Holy shit! Let's get out of here, man!" the second man shouted, trying to get to his feet with the aid of his buddy. "She's fucking crazy!"

With a little bit more grunting and pained sounds, the two started to leave the area, relying on each other for balance. I had half a mind to throw and stick the knife into the back of one of them as they left, but I figured if they died I would be charged with murder instead of being let off for self-defense.

"Geh!" I dropped to my knees when they vanished from sight. The pain of the damage done to me had finally registered. "Damn." I cursed myself as I slowly started to get back up.

I looked over at the girl, who had been lying on the ground the whole time, completely shell-shocked. Only her ragged breathing could be heard, and her blue eyes seemed to never blink. I reached out my hand towards her, causing her to reel back out of fear.

"Hey," I quietly said, "it's alright." I leaned in closer to her.

"No!" she finally screamed. "Get away from me!" She started crying even more.

"Look," I stated getting annoyed. "My house is just over there. We could at least clean up, before you go anywhere."

She looked up at my face and suddenly widened her eyes, a small flicker of recognition appearing in them.

"Let's go." I slowly picked her up, throwing her arm over my shoulder. "Can you hold these?" I gave her our bags.

She nodded weakly.

"Good," I stated, and started walking towards home.

The trip was silent and uneventful. I tried to stay in the alleyways again, to avoid being seen by others. She was still in shock, so I didn't think she was in the mood to say anything. We entered through the front door and I put her down on the couch, where she could lie down. I went to the closet and grabbed a blanket for her, throwing it to her as I passed by her on my way to the kitchen.

"I'll get some food ready," I stated as I began to dig through the fridge. I jumped back a little when the cold air hit my chest, making me look down at my uniform, having forgotten that it was torn.

"Th...th.." I heard her mumbling.

"Hmm?" I responded as I passed by again to head to my room and grab a shirt.

"Thank...you..." she muttered from under the blanket.

"Don't worry about it," I smiled back at her as I came back from my room. "So what's your name?" I asked as I sat down on the floor next to her.

"You...you don't remember me?" she asked, a little confused.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" I offered an apologetic look.

"Did you really…forget about me...Fate-san?" She looked like she was on the verge of tears again. "It's me, Nanoha...Takamachi, Nanoha."

"Fate?" I repeated blankly.

"Yes," she nodded. "You _are_ Fate Testarossa...right?" Her voice was cracking.

"No, I'm sorry." I shook my head slowly. "My name is Alicia...Alicia Testarossa…"

* * *

_A/N Dun dun duuuuun. Another addition buildup into the yet seemingly unknown plot. I hope that you all who have the iron stomach to continue so far are..enlightened? lol I am so sorry again that this came out so late. IRL issues combined with the holidays and other things have made things difficult. Yes I still plan on finishing all the stories started, but instead of spreading myself thin I decided to finish this one first. Well the green link is below as always. I thank you so very much for the continued support. Once again I am sorry for the delay...I hope you guys haven't forgotten the story completely XD orz_


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N I guess there has been some confusion going on and I apologize for it. Last chapter (chapter 4) was Alicia's chapter. The main pairing posted is indeed correct (the prologue should have confirmed this hehe) The story thus-far is all build-up as I have mentioned several times before. I could change the story now and just rush towards the main point if that's what you guys want and just skip all the build up. That would save me lots of time and probably several chapters in writing hehe *evil grin*. Anyway here is chapter 5 ^.^_

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* * *

  
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~~ Chapter 5 ~~

"Ali...cia?" My mind tried to register what she had just told me. "No, that can't be. You're Fate-san!" I could feel fear growing in my body once again.

The blond stared at me in silence, her ruby eyes reflecting the light of the room.

"You look exactly like her and - ow!" I winced as I tried to sit up too fast. I reached towards the back of my head and touched a spot where it felt particularly painful. Pulling my hand back, I saw my fingers covered in red, viscous fluid.

"Sit still." The girl got up and went to the bathroom to grab a basin of water and a cloth. "So what's your name?" she repeated.

"Nanoha..." I responded, half in a daze. "Takamachi, Nanoha."

"Takamachi, Nanoha..." She repeated the name to herself.

_"What is going on?"_ My mind started asking questions on its own. _"This girl has to be Fate-san__,__ but she__'__s claiming to be Alicia__.__"_ My head was pounding. _"Am I dreaming or something?"_

"Hold still." She went behind the couch, tilting my head forward from where she stood. "They got you really good," she commented as she moved my hair aside and started wiping the wound down.

"Ow!" I flinched forward a little bit as my head stung. _"Ok__ay,__ I guess I am not dreaming__.__"_

"It's not deep, but..." she continued to assess the damage, "it might hurt for a couple of hours."

"...thank you," I repeated again.

"How did you end up there?" she asked as she continued working.

"I...wanted to take a shortcut going home." I wanted to kick myself for it. "I was out a little late, looking for a place to get a part-time job but - ow!"

"Sorry."

"When I went down that alley, one of them stopped me, asking for directions. I didn't even know the second guy was there until he hit me behind the head with something." I began to hate myself for not being able to sense the other person. "Then my mind was in complete disarray; I couldn't fully understand what was going on."

"I see."

"Then, when he pulled out a knife, my mind completely locked." I hugged my knees. "They were about to..." *sniff* "about to..." I hugged them tighter and began trembling.

"It's alright," she patted my head gently before finishing up her work. "You were luckier than I was," she muttered.

"Huh?" I turned my head towards her once she finished bandaging.

"It's nothing..." She stood up to put the kit away.

"Fate-san..."

"I told you, I'm not Fate."

"I'm sorry..." I lowered my head.

"Alright," she sighed. "I'll be _Fate,_ for tonight."

"...?" I looked up at her.

"You won't stop calling me Fate anyway, no matter what. So I'll respond to that name…for tonight."

"I'm sorry," I blushed, and lowered my head again.

"Here." She threw me a blanket. "Get some rest. I'll walk you to your school in the morning, just to make sure there aren't any more problems." She went back to the other room, reappearing with some extra clothes. "Change into this for tonight. Your uniform will need some repairs."

"Thank you." I mentally kicked myself for sounding like a broken record, but there was nothing else I could say. I changed into the offered clothes while she went back into the kitchen to get something.

"I will be sleeping next door." She placed a glass of water on the table next to me. "If you need anything, or have any questions, come wake me up," she spoke as she picked up my uniform.

I watched her leave, but before she disappeared my body automatically spoke "Fate-san"

She stopped and looked at me "What is it?"

I felt bad that I stopped her. I felt even worse that I was about to ask her something she probably didn't want to talk about. However, I already had stopped her, so I had no choice.

"What did you..." I lowered my voice, "what did you mean when you said I was luckier than you...?"

Alicia crossed her arms and looked at me for a few moments, as if debating how she should answer the question.

"Three years ago," she started slowly, "I was caught in a similar situation as you." She turned around as if to walk into her room before looking back over her shoulder. "...No one ever came to help." She took two steps forward. "Good night, Takamachi-san" she closed her door slowly

_"I'm so sorry..."_ I mentally apologized, before pulling the blanket over my head. My body was still shaking a little bit from the incident earlier, but I tried to calm myself down and force myself to sleep.

* * * * * * * * * *

"...an," a voice called out to me.

"..chi-san." It started to get louder and louder.

"Takamachi-san..." the voice called out once more, stirring me from my sleep. I rolled over groggily and slowly opened my eyes.

"Fate...san?" I looked up at the pair of red eyes that were staring back at me.

"Good morning, Takamachi-san," she smiled at me.

My mind slowly started to register things and then…

"...!" I gasped and shot straight up to a sitting position, nearly hitting our heads together. "Fate-san! What are you doing here?!" I asked, both in confusion and surprise. "Ugh." I held my head as the blood finally caught up and made me dizzy.

"Alicia!" another voice called, interrupting the girl before she had the chance to respond to me. "Is your friend up yet? You guys will be late for school!"

"Coming!" she called out towards the kitchen before looking back at me. "Here." She handed me back my school uniform. "I did what I could, but it's nowhere near perfect. It should be okay for today, though, until you get home and change into another one."

I looked at her, confused for a few more moments before last night's memories started flowing back into my brain. I reached behind my head to confirm, and twitched a little bit when the pain authenticated the memories.

"Fate-sa-"

"Still calling me Fate?" she smirked. "I said I would only respond to that name last night." She offered her hand to help me off of the couch. "I'm back to being Alicia today."

I couldn't help but blush a little as I continued to dig myself a deeper hole.

"I'm sorry...Alicia-san."

"That's better," she grinned as she looked me over, seeing if there were any other injuries that she missed last night. "Ok, let's have some breakfast, Takamachi-san."

I followed the girl to the dining room table and saw a woman sitting there already. Her auburn hair flowed down and around the back of the chair.

"G-good morning." I bowed.

"Ah~," she looked at me, "you must be Alicia's new toy." She grinned, then looked at the blond. "Nice catch."

"Very funny, Arf." She sat down. "She was caught in a bad situation last night; all I did was tend to the aftermath."

"Umm..." I stood there and tried to get their attention.

"What is it, Takamachi-san?" Alicia asked me, a little concerned.

"I, Takamachi Nanoha, want to thank you for saving me last night," I bowed again, "and for taking care of me 'til now."

"Takamachi, Nanoha, eh?" Arf looked over at Alicia. "She's not only cute, but also well mannered. Good job, Alicia."

"I told you..." the blond said in an even voice. "I picked her up after an incident."

"Ha ha ha, alright, alright," Arf laughed. "My name is Arf. Please have a seat, Takamachi-san," she nodded.

"Nanoha, if you would please." I made my way to the seat next to Alicia and sat down.

"You should have heard her yesterday," Alicia spoke as she passed the bowls of rice around. "She kept calling me Fate."

I couldn't help but blush at my mistake.

"So you know her sister, huh?" Arf looked at me, a little surprised. "Small world."

"Fate-san…is your sister?" I couldn't help but gasping at the sudden surge of information. "I thought you were just playing with me all this time!"

"Ha ha ha. Don't take it too hard, Nanoha-san," the red-head said before biting into her food. "They are twin sisters, so even I make that mistake sometimes."

"Twin sisters?" I looked over at Alicia. "If you had told me she was Fate-san I would have believed it in a heartbeat."

"Well, I am sorry I'm not her." Alicia sounded a little upset.

"Now now, Alicia. Only your mother and possibly Linith could ever tell the difference between you two."

I watched the conversation exchange for a little bit longer before a small question that kept bugging me finally made its way to the surface.

"Alicia-san," both women turned to me. "Umm...where's Fate-san?"

Arf looked down, seeming a little depressed. I cringed a little at the change in atmosphere and was about to kick myself for asking such a stupid question when-

"She lives with my mother," Alicia answered naturally, "on the other side of town."

"I...see." I lowered my head in shame. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--I just thought that you all were living together, and-"

"Don't worry about it," she reassured while eating normally. "Hey, you better hurry up." She looked at the clock. "Your school is in the other district; we'll be late if we don't hurry."

"Are you going to walk her over?" Arf looked up from her food.

"Yeah, to make sure nothing happens to her."

"Won't you be late for your own classes if you do?"

"You know me," the blond grinned.

"That's what I'm worried about," Arf sighed.

* * * * * * * * * *

"You don't have to walk me to school you know, Alicia-san." I looked over slightly to the girl walking next to me. "You will be late for school."

She didn't respond and just spared me a glance. She wasn't ignoring me, but somehow I just knew that she wasn't going to change her mind at all, and just decided not to say anything.

_"Her demeanor is a little mysterious__._" I couldn't help but stealing glances at her. _"They look exactly alike, but at the same time she__'__s different from Fate-san__.__"_

She slowed down to look at her watch, allowing me to turn the corner towards the school gate before her and into-

"Nanoha!" A familiar voice called out to me. For a moment, I thought I was hearing things.

"...?" I turned my head towards the voice of the person running towards me "Fate...-san?"

"Nanoha!" she called again as she got to me, followed shortly by Chrono and Yuuno. "Are you ok? Where did you go last night? I went to pick you up this morning but you weren't there! What happened to your uniform? How come it's-" she stopped abruptly as my companion finally caught up to me. "Alicia...onee-chan..." Fate's eyes were wide in surprise.

"Hey Fate! What is going - whoa!" The two boys came to a halt once they saw Alicia.

I looked back from Fate to Alicia, and back again. _"They are exactly the same!"_ I tried to suppress my surprise. _"O__h __m__y __g__od__...they really ARE twins!"_

"Fate...what is going on?" Chrono broke the silence. "Who is she?" He nodded at Alicia.

"Onee-chan..." Fate repeated, in her own little zone, as if she couldn't believe she was staring at her mirror image.

"She's your sister?" Yuuno asked next. "How come you never told us?"

"I've known you all these years, how come I've never met her?" Chrono added.

Fate snapped herself back to reality and forced herself to tear her gaze away from her sister. "I met you when we were ten Chrono-kun." She lowered her head and stole a glance to her twin. "Onee-chan left when we were nine," she looked at Alicia straight on. "I didn't know you were living here, much less if you were still in Japan." She slowly reached her hand out to stroke her sister's cheek, being very careful as if she were handling glass. "I haven't seen you in years..."

"Are you going to introduce us?" Yuuno interrupted the setting.

"Oh!" Fate pulled her hand back quickly. "Well," she turned to Alicia, "this is Harlaown, Chrono." She pointed to him. "And this is Scrya, Yuuno. Yuuno, Chrono...this is my twin sister."

"Alicia Testarossa," she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you."

Alicia nodded to them before looking at me. "You should be okay from here. I need to get going to my school. But first..." she looked at Fate, "we need to talk." She turned around and started walking a small distance away.

"Excuse me, please," Fate apologized to us, before rushing after her sister.

I opened my mouth to try to say something, but no words came. All of a sudden I felt as if the warm blanket that was around my body was suddenly taken away, the chill spreading faster the further Alicia moved away. I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered slightly despite the nice weather.

"Are you ok?" Chrono tried to pat my shoulder.

"I'm fine!" I dodged out of his gesture, making sure that my hands didn't try to grab him on their own. "I'm sorry..." I bowed slightly before turning my attention back to the two sisters who were talking just out of range.

* * *

**~~ Interlude ~~**

"Onee-chan..." Fate called out to her sister as they finally reached a small distance. "It's been so long...I missed you and-!"

"Fate," Alicia stated, effectively cutting off her sister. "Do you know Nanoha?" She turned around to face the other girl.

"Y-yes," the younger sister was taken aback by the sudden sternness of her elder's voice. "She was assigned to me to be looked after for a couple days by the Student President." They both sat down at a bench. "How did she end up with you?"

"Long story, short: She got involved in an incident last night. If you look carefully at her uniform you can pretty much guess what kind of incident. She's a little bit unstable, but she will manage. I placed a small bandage on the back of her head. If you look at her hair, you'll notice it. That is why..." She looked at her twin with piercing eyes. "See her home. Don't let anything happen to her, do you understand me?"

"H...hai," Fate nodded.

"On second thought," Alicia stood up, "I'll come pick her up after school." She glanced over at Nanoha. "Right now she might feel a little more comfortable with me after that incident."

"Onee-chan..."

"I have to go," Alicia said, taking another look at her watch. "Don't let me down, Fate." She bowed slightly towards Nanoha before heading towards her own path.

"Onee-chan, wait!" Fate called out and grabbed her sister's hand. "It's been so long...why don't you come home? Mom and I miss you..."

"I have work after school today," the other replied. "I'll think about it after I drop Nanoha home."

"You work? Where?"

Alicia looked at her watch before freeing her hand. "Good bye, Fate" She started to walk off.

"Onee-chan..." Fate watched the back of her twin slowly disappear down the street. "I'm sorry..." she whispered to herself.

**~~ Interlude Out ~~**

* * *

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Fate called out as she returned.

"What was that about?" Chrono asked.

"...family issues," she chose her words carefully. "I'm sorry."

"That's alright," Yuuno nodded. "Hey we better get going, the bell is about to ring."

"Would you two mind walking ahead of us?" Fate asked the boys. "I need to speak to Nanoha in private real quick - you know, 'Girl Talk'."

The two got the message and started walking a little bit faster in order to create distance between us.

"So, what happened?" Fate looked over at me once she was sure they wouldn't be able to hear.

"Nothing happened," I replied, too quickly.

"Nanoha." She got in front of me to block my path. "Even if Alicia-onee-chan didn't say anything, it's pretty obvious that something _did_ happen." She waited for me to look her in the eyes. "She asked me to look after you until she picked you up after school to go to her job."

"I'm telling you Fate-san, it's nothing!" I tried to move around her but she tried to block my path again, forcing me to attempt at the other side. "Ow!" The back of my head started to throb. She noticed this and reached her hand behind my head and lightly touched the small bandage that was placed there.

Fate pulled her hand back and looked at me with a look that said '_It's really nothing__,__ huh?'_

I sighed and looked up at her. "I'm sorry..."

"Onee-chan asked me to look after you, but..." She looked ahead and noticed that we were nearing the gate. "If you don't mind, would you like to tell me all about it during lunch?"

"Hai..."

* * * * * * * * * *

"Alright," Fate stated as she led me to the rooftop. "It's a little cold, but at least we'll be alone." She walked over to the far side and sat down.

I followed her and sat down next to her, opening my lunch box.

"So what happened?" she asked with a concerned look.

I began to retell the incident, starting from me looking around for a job, to waking up at Alicia's place.

"I see...I'm sorry" she mumbled as she looked my uniform over. "She did a really good job." She pointed at the repairs, trying to get back on a brighter topic.

"Yeah." I couldn't help but smiling a little bit as I continued eating. We remained silent for a few more moments before my question from this morning crept back up to my mind. "Fate-san..." I began.

"Hmm~?" She looked at me in between bites.

"Why aren't you living with Alicia-san?" I threw it out.

Fate put her chopsticks down and sighed, almost as if she knew that question was coming.

"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have asked." I grit my teeth again. _"I knew this was a bad question to ask and yet I did it..."_ I mentally sighed.

"Alicia-onee-chan..." she spoke, after a few more moments, "finds it hard to be at home." She stared up into the sky.

"She finds it hard?" I couldn't help but saying it aloud.

"She had a strong bond with my father, so, when he went away, she just couldn't stay in the house anymore."

"Won't he come back?" My body reacted faster than my mind. The moment the words left my lips, I regretted it.

"No..." She smiled at me sadly. "He won't be coming back."

"I'm sorry..." I lowered my head. _"Damn-it..."_ I mentally kicked myself for what felt like the eightieth time that day. _"Why did I have to ask that?! __You are a fool__, Takamach __Nanoha!"_

"They say..." she looked down crestfallen, "that onee-chan killed our father. They say that she even admitted to it."

My eyes widened incredibly. "W...h-how? Why?!" I found myself asking.

"I'm sorry..." she shook her head. "I can't answer that. We were only nine years old when that happened." She sighed as if wanting to forget the memory. "I don't even really remember what happened...but onee-chan might." She packed up her bento box and slowly stood up. "Let's go, Nanoha." She turned back to me and smiled. "Class will be starting soon."

I did my best to smile back for her, but deep down I couldn't do it. I packed up my box and began to follow her.

"I hope the boys don't go crazy since we left them behind during lunch," she began, laughing to brighten the mood.

"I hope not," I responded as I began to slowly pick up my pace, "because I don't think I could fully recover with them being around, ha ha ha." I slowly reached to the back of my head, as if to make sure it was still there.

"Are you feeling better?" She had noticed my action.

"Yeah, I am doing a lot better, thanks. I should be able to remove this now, but I'll keep it on till after school just to be sure."

"Hmmmm~" She grinned at me.

"W-what?" I moved aside, a little uncomfortable.

"You are slowly being more and more open," she teased. "I am proud of you Takamachi, Nanoha."

"Mou..." I puffed my cheeks as I followed her down the stairs. "I hate it when you do that."

* * * * * * * * * *

*ding dong*

"Nanoha!" Fate called out to me as I was about to leave the classroom.

"What is it?" I turned around.

"I am sorry I won't be able to help you this afternoon." She looked back at the classroom. "I have cleaning duty today. Onee-chan did say that she was coming to pick you up, though."

"Alicia-san did?"

"Yeah. She said she wanted to make sure you were okay before she went to her work and--"

"She has a job?" My mind suddenly picked up. "Where?!"

She almost jumped back at my sudden response. "She didn't say, but she will meet you at the front gate. Maybe you can ask her."

"Testarossa-san!" another student called. "Let's get started!"

"Hai~!" she called over. "Okay, sorry Nanoha. I have to go."

"Take care, Fate-san."

I slowly began to walk to the gate with my mind in deep thought over everything that had happened so far. My head wasn't hurting as much as it was before, and thankfully no one had really noticed the bandaging that was placed there by Alicia.

_"That should work__,__"_ Alicia's voice through my head, a memory. _"Try to avoid sudden movements__,__ or else your head will hurt more."_

"I can't help it..." I sighed out as I reached the gate. "Trying to avoid everyone today was a pain."

While I was lost in thought, someone grabbed my left hand.

"...!" My mind seemed to blank for a moment and the next thing I knew my right fist was flying towards that person's face. _"Shit!"_ I mentally cursed.

Before I could stop it, however, my fist was caught in the person's left hand.

"I told you to avoid sudden movements..." The owner spoke smoothly.

"Alicia-san!" I jumped back a little bit in surprise and began to bow rapidly several times, despite the small pain it was causing me. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just reacted since you suddenly grabbed my hand!"

"Nanoha..." She waited till I raised my head slowly and looked her in the eyes. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings."

I looked to my right and noticed that I was right on the edge of the road. If she had not stopped me, I probably would have been hit by a car.

"Thank you, Alicia-san," I bowed one more time.

"Nanoha..."

"...?" I raised my head to look at her again. "...!" I gasped and my body locked the instant I saw her pull out a blade from her pocket.

"I see..." she noted out loud, before putting the knife away. "You're scared of weapons."

"I-I..." I tried to regain my composure, but my body was slow at responding.

"Come on." She smiled softly at me as she extended her hand, making me blush a little bit. "I'll walk you home before going to work."

I slowly reached out to her hand as my body started to unlock itself. The moment it was close enough, she reached forward and began to pull me, making me yelp in surprise.

"Where do you live?"

"Over that way..." I pointed towards the South East.

"That's on my way to work." She started to move, pulling me along with her.

"Alicia-san..." I looked around a little bit.

"Hmmm?" She continued walking without even turning her head back to me.

"Could you...let go of my hand?" My cheeks burned more and more as each word came out.

"If I don't drag you, you won't follow me."

"But...it's embarrassing!" I finally forced myself to say it.

She stopped and turned around, though she still had a firm grasp on my hand.

"You're getting embarrassed? Well then," she grinned, "this is punishment for almost punching me in the face."

And with that, she continued to drag me. After a few more weak attempts to escape, I decided to just let it be.

"Alicia-san?"

"What is it?"

"Where do you work?"

"Why, you looking for a job?" she laughed.

"Actually, I am."

Alicia remained silent for a few moments before looking back at me again.

"We do have an open slot...but I am not too sure if it will suit you."

"What do you do?"

"I work at a Cafe and-"

"You do?!" I couldn't help myself but exclaim. "Ah, I'm sorry!" I looked down to hide my embarrassment, which in turn earned a laugh.

"Alright, I'll take you there," she grinned at me as we turned a corner.

* * * * * * * * * *

"I'm here!" Alicia called out as we entered a peculiar looking cafe called _The Shiny Sword__. _

"Ah, Testarossa-san," a woman called form behind the counter. "Welcome."

"Hey Alavon!" She waved. "And would you start calling me by my name? It's getting annoying that I am the only one doing it."

"Ha ha ha, I'm sorry Alicia-san," the woman smirked. "Is that better?"

"Ugh." Alicia rolled her eyes and continued towards the back. "Is the Mistress in?"

"You're finally here," a man called out from the far side of the café. "Did something happen? You are never late."

"Hey, Raiser" she nodded to him. "Is she here?"

"She is in the office," he responded to her.

I stood there from the doorway, watching everything so intently that I didn't even notice that someone had snuck up beside me.

"So..." the new voice whispered, almost in my ear, "Are you Alicia's new toy?"

I froze for a moment before jumping to my left and away from the source of the voice. My head pounded a little bit as I completed the motion.

"Whoa!" The stranger jumped back a little bit themselves.

Before me stood a purple-haired, gold-eyed, kitsune girl in a pink maid outfit.

"Um...I'm sorry" I calmed my breathing down. "You scared me."

"Cut it out, Satashi," Alicia called over to us. "She's not for dinner."

Even if it was a joke, somehow that statement made me feel a little uncomfortable. I did my best and tried to laugh the situation out.

"That's too bad." Satashi pulled away from me and went back to setting up the tables. "She would have tasted really good, I bet." She stuck out her tongue towards Alicia.

"Are you going to introduce us?" Alavon asked.

"In a bit. I just need to get the Mistress," Alicia responded as she disappeared into the back room.

While waiting, I decided to take a quick scan of the entire cafe. The place looked well furnished with expensive looking table cloths, high quality silverware, and even a small piano in the back. I looked up at the light fixtures and noticed small speakers placed next to them to allow soft music to be played, creating a relaxing environment.

_"Yeah__,__"_ I thought to myself. _"I would love to work here. The atmosphere seems __wonderful,__ and the crew doesn't seem to be too bad."_

"There she is," Alicia's voice broke me out of my admiration. "Everyone gather please."

The crew came together into a loose half circle with a woman standing in the middle. This one had a different aura from the others. Her hair, a shade or two darker than Alicia's, flowed just below her shoulders, and her hazel eyes seemed to be inspecting me as if I were some antique worth acquiring.

"Welcome," she spoke. "I am Radiant Beam, owner and Mistress of The Shiny Sword Cafe. Alicia here tells me that you might be interested in working here."

I found myself unable to speak at the sudden pressure that seemed to be emanating from all of those gathered, but a slight grin from Alicia made me regain my footing.

"Hai!" I straightened myself out. "I wanted to know if there were any possible openings here."

"Hmm~" she began to circle me. "We are not currently looking for more people." She paused until she got back in front of me. "…But since Alicia was begging for me to accept you~" she glanced over behind her.

"Hey! That was supposed to be a secret!" Alicia roared, earning a few laughs from the rest of the crew.

"What's your name?" She looked back at me.

"Nanoha. Takamachi, Nanoha."

"Nanoha, huh?" She pondered a little bit more. "All right. We'll hire you."

"Really?" My eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes. However, there are rules." Her face became serious.

"Hai!" I listened intently.

"First: Always let us know if you won't be able to make it."

I nodded. That wasn't a surprising rule at all.

"Second: We're a family here, so no formalities among us."

I nodded again.

"Lastly..." she paused, smiling in a way that made me feel rather uncomfortable. "Since Alicia brought you here, you will have to work with her."

"That's not so bad."

I spoke too soon.

"Good." She smiled as if she had just made a big catch. "Then you get to wear Alicia's Lolita dress for tonight."

"Huh..?" I didn't quite understand until I looked over at Alicia who was holding up said dress. "EHHHH?!"

"Mistress' order," Radiant Beam smirked, turning to the rest of the crew. "Alright, you all know what to do. Alavon, I want the totals from this past month's sales when you get the chance."

"Hai."

"Raiser, I need to know how much supplies we have left in stock and which ones we have that are less than twenty days in supply."

"You got it."

"Satashi, you are in charge of the floor tonight. If any problems come up, you deal with it."

"Roger."

"Alicia, you will be in the back doing preparations with Nanoha. You will personally be training her for a while, so she will need to learn everything from making the food to serving it. Once you get that mastered, we'll start circulating everyone around."

"Got it!"

With that, everyone else began to disperse and proceed to open the store. Alicia came up to me with a big grin on her face.

"Come on, I'll show you to the changing room." She nodded towards the back.

"Hai~" I sighed. _"Well...here goes..."_ I steeled myself as I followed her for my first night on the job.

* * *

_A/N Well sorry again for the confusion guys, but I hope most of it cleared up. I don't want to answer ALL the mystery questions now, unless you guys don't want anymore plot development and just want the outline of the story . I personally want to make this into a decent story, but if you guys prefer I just speed things up then I guess I'll make a abridged version for it as well hehe. Well the green link is below as always. Like it? Hate it? Needs lots of improvements? Please let me know! I do read all comments and even try to reply to most of them. Sorry this took a little bit longer than I wanted it to, but RL stuff keeps wanting to interfere lol. So, sorry again orz._


	7. Chapter 6

_A/N Hey sorry again for the delays. RL has been taking up a lot of time. Judging from the reactions of people. It seems that you all want the buildup development hehe. Alright I'll try my best not to let you guys down. This chapter is slightly longer than normal, but I doubt that's a problem for any of you anyway XD *ahem* well here we go. Enjoy ^.^_

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* * *

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~~ Chapter 6 ~~

_"Mom..." I lightly pulled on the skirt of the person standing next to me. "Why is Alicia-onee-chan leaving?" I waited until she turned her attention to me. "Does she hate us?"_

_Mother turned her head slightly to me, taking my hand in hers before turning back to face Alicia. "No, darling. She doesn't hate us. She leaves because she must." She nodded at Arf, smiling one last time at Alicia "She is a strong-willed girl. She'll be ok."_

_"Is she going to come back?" I shifted my gaze from my mother's face to the small car that Alicia and Arf had gotten into._

_"Someday, Fate. Someday."_

"Onee-chan..." I called out softly as I awoke from my sleep, barely noticing that Linith was sitting next to my bed, her eyes watching me.

"Good morning, Fate," she reached over and wiped some tears away. "Had a bad dream?"

"Linith...good morning." I slowly sat up, adjusting my hair so that I wouldn't accidentally sit on it. "I just recalled an old memory."

"About Alicia?" Her eyes showed a hint of concern.

"Yeah." I looked down at my hands, as if trying to remember what it felt like to touch her again.

"She was just a kid when she left here." Linith looked over in the direction of Alicia's old room. It hadn't been touched since she left it all those years ago.

"Nnn~," I nodded.

"Come on, let's go." She urged me to move with her hands and her words. "You should talk to your mother about her. I am sure she misses Alicia as well."

We headed downstairs a few moments later and I slowed down when the sound of light laughter hit my ears. I curiously peeked into the kitchen and saw my mother busily chatting with another woman.

"Ah, good morning, Fate," mom greeted me. "Come down here, Lindy just came by to have a cup with me."

"Good morning, Fate-chan," the woman greeted, her long, blue strands of hair flowing as she bowed.

"Good morning, Lindy-san," I bowed in return.

Lindy Harlaown, the kind-spirited captain of the region's National Police Agency. Lindy enjoys drinking green tea with sugar and sometimes cream-something my mother and I found rather odd, but never said anything about. As for the NPA, it oversees the Prefectural Police that ensures Japan's police forces are an apolitical body and free of direct central government executive control. Also, as the name suggests, she is mother to Chrono Harlaown, my friend.

"Well, I better get going." Lindy stood up, pushing her seat in. "Nice talking with you again, Precia. Sorry I couldn't stay longer, but I have a case to deal with over in Hokkaido for the next couple weeks." She took out her cell phone to check the time.

"Local police having trouble?" Mom chuckled as she placed her cup down on the table.

"Yeah, a friend of mine requested some assistance so I figured I'd go help them out." She turned to me, her hair following her body as it moved. "Nice to see you again, Fate-chan. Take care of Chrono for me while I am gone, okay?" She reached out and gently patted my head.

"Sure thing Lindy-san," I waved at her while she made her exit.

I then went to my seat at the table and was about to take a bite when mom interrupted me.

"So, what's wrong with you?"

I glanced up at her and noticed that she hadn't even looked up from her spot on the morning paper, which she had just opened.

"...you aren't even looking at me," I sighed.

"I'm your mother," she put her paper down as she spoke, finally. "There are things I can tell without looking."

I sighed again and looked down at my food.

"It's about Alicia, isn't it." She wore a lopsided grin

"H-how did you-?!" I looked at her completely shocked, almost dropping my chopsticks.

"The last time you wore that face was when Alicia decided to leave this house, so long ago." She leaned back as if to recall past memories.

"I...met her the other day..."

"I see..." She picked up her cup and took a long sip before speaking again. "So you finally figured out she was here." After speaking she took another calm drink.

"You _knew?!" _ I found myself unconsciously standing and leaning over the table. "All this time?!"

"Of course." She put her cup down and looked at me evenly. Even if I was the one who was supposed to be putting the pressure on, I found my knees starting to go weak.

"W-why didn't you tell me?" I slowly started to sink back into my seat.

"You never asked," she stated plainly. It was a childish response, but the aura she was radiating really left no room for arguments.

"Mom~~" I whined, defeated, and began eating. "Itadakimasu~"

"How did you meet her?" She interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on them as she watched me eating.

"I ran into her when she brought Nanoha to school, and - oh crap!"

"Nanoha, eh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Would this..._Nanoha_ be the girl who has caught your attention the past few days?"

"I...um...er..." I panicked. _"Damnit! I had to open my big mouth"_

"Linith," mom called, looking over her shoulder slightly.

"Hai?"

"Would you mind preparing a little extra tonight? Fate is going to be bringing two guests over."

"Guests?" I asked in confusion.

"Alright, I'll go shop for extra ingredients later this afternoon."

"Two?" I asked, still confused.

"Yes, two," she turned back to me. "You are going to bring this Nanoha here for dinner tonight."

"Eh?"

"And the second person you will bring will be your twin sister."

"EHHHHHH?!"

"Have them come by around seven. I will be done with my meetings by then and we should all be able to eat together."

"But mom~" I tried to protest, but the look she gave me offered no ground.

"He is going to be here soon," mom said idly, changing the subject as she looked at the clock.

"Crap!" I said reflexively as I started to scarf down the rest of my food.

"Slow down, Fate." Mom chastised me a little. "Being late isn't the end of the world."

I was about to say something back when the doorbell rang.

"Hmm~ looks like the boyfriend is here," mom grinned.

I was too busy horking down the rest of my breakfast to say something so I settled for a glare.

"Ah good morning Scrya-san," Linith announced as she opened the door. "Fate is finishing up her breakfast real quick and she'll be with you shortly; do come in."

I started to eat faster, much to my mother's disapproval, while Linith stalled for me. It took me about four more minutes to wolf everything down.

"Sorry for the wait, Yuuno-kun," I called as I rushed from the table.

"Hold it right there." Mom's stern voice paralyzed me in place.

_"Uh oh__,__"_ I thought to myself. _"She__'__s in S-mode__.__"_

"Clean up your plates." She commanded me to do so, rather than asked. Still, the voice wasn't as threatening as the glow her eyes had.

"H-hai!" I rushed back and picked everything up, putting my dirty dishes in the sink. I bet my speed was more out of fear, than out of running late.

"Take care of yourself, and don't forget to bring your guests with you tonight," she called as I rushed past her again, on my way to the door.

"Mom! Linith! We're going!" I called as I pulled Yuuno with me.

"H-hey!" Yuuno cried out as I pulled him through the door by a sleeve.

"Let's go!"

* * * * * * * * * *

"What am I going to do..?" I sighed to myself as Yuuno and I continued on our route to Nanoha's house.

"About what?"

"Huh?" I jerked for a second before fully registering the question. "Oh sorry, mom wanted me to bring Nanoha and Alicia home for dinner tonight. I am not sure what Nanoha would say, and I don't even know where Alicia lives."

"Can't you just tell her you can't find them?" he offered, shrugging slightly.

"No way!" I crossed my arms into an X shape in front of me. "Mom would never let me in the house without them."

"You're overreacting." So he said, but the way he said it almost seemed like he didn't believe it himself, not even for a moment.

"You don't know how frightening she is, especially when she goes into S-mode." I sighed and lowered my shoulders.

"Ahahaha..." he laughed nervously.

"Well at least we'll be able to ask Nanoha about -- Onee-chan!" I said, surprised as I saw my twin talking to Nanoha outside of the brunette's house. "Onee-chan, what are you doing here?"

The two girls turned to us, almost in unison.

"Good morning, Fate-san," Nanoha greeted us warmly. "You too, Yuuno-san."

Alicia nodded in recognition.

Yuuno and I exchanged greetings with them.

"Umm...Nanoha...Onee-chan," I stuttered, started to get a little nervous.

"...?" Both of them looked at me like I was going crazy or something. It was kind of nerve-wracking, considering my dinner and place to sleep tonight rested on their responses.

"Mom...wants to know...if you two would like to have dinner with us tonight?"

"Sorry I have work tonight," Alicia answered almost immediately. The response was too quick.

"But we get off early today," Nanoha protested with a slight frown.

"You two work together?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, Alicia-chan and I work at a Cafe not too far from here." Nanoha was beaming. "I finally got a job and it's with someone I know."

"So could you please come?" I was on the verge of begging. "Mom won't let me in the door unless I bring you both." I shivered at the thought.

"She'd really do that?" Nanoha asked.

"She's just kidding, Nanoha-san," Yuuno answered, trying to reassure her, and himself.

"No. She just might," Alicia spoke up, making all eyes turn to her. "What am I going to tell Arf? She was planning on cooking tonight and-"

"You live with Arf?!" Yet again, another piece of information that was hidden from me. "Why don't people tell me these things?!" I felt like I was going crazy. So much I thought I knew was being turned upside down.

Alicia sighed before speaking again. "I'll have Arf head over to your place, then. She can cook with Linith. I am sure that would make them both happy."

"Alright, I'll go too, then." Nanoha smiled at me.

"Thank you!" I jumped and gave Nanoha a hug.

Next thing I know, Nanoha twisted her body and I was on my way to the ground. I lifted my head on instinct and braced myself to hit the ground. Surprisingly, I landed quite softly. I looked up and noticed that Alicia had slid below me and blocked my fall using her legs.

"Nice defense," Alicia noted. "Maybe it was unnecessary for me to shield your head. It seems your body still remembers some of Dad's teaching."

"I'm sorry, Fate-san!" Nanoha almost shouted. "I didn't mean to!"

"Ha ha ha, that's okay," I laughed lightly as I took Yuuno's hand and pulled myself up.

"Are you okay, Alicia-chan?" Nanoha turned to her and offered a hand.

"I'm fine," she dusted herself off as she stood by herself, picking up her items on the ground. "If they are here to pick you up, then there's no need for me to bring you there then. I'll see you at work...Nanoha."

It might have been just me, but I could have sworn she smirked evilly at Nanoha. Judging from the brunette's response, my guess was right, too. We watched Onee-chan disappear around the corner on her way towards her school before I made my way to Nanoha, making sure to stay in her field of vision.

"So. You like onee-chan, don't you?" I teased her, grinning.

"Eh? W-what are you talking about, Fate-san?!" She began to flail her arms.

"Hmm~ don't be shy." I couldn't help it, seeing her like this was just so cute. "Are you going to ask her out?"

"D-d-don't be stupid!" Her face was turning an even darker red now. "T-t-there's no way I can do that!"

I wanted to continue teasing her some more, but -

"Hai, hai, that's enough." Yuuno interrupted us and started pulling us towards the direction of school. "We'll be late if we don't get going."

"You got lucky, Nanoha," I teased her once more.

"Mou~!"

* * * * * * * * * *

*Ding Dong~*

"Rise! Bow!" I gave the commands to dismiss the class for lunch. "What a day so far," I sighed, sitting back down and lazily leaning forward on my desk.

"Tired?" Nanoha came up to me and leaned over my shoulder.

"A little bit." I relaxed some more, sprawling out on my desk like a cat. "I didn't think Alicia-onee-chan would agree to going. I was scared that mom wouldn't let me go home if she said no." I closed my eyes as if to block out the thought of sleeping in the front yard tonight.

"She wouldn't do that," Nanoha said, trying to comfort me.

"You don't know my mother," I responded back lazily.

"Nyahaha~" she laughed and reached behind her. "Eh?" She looked confused and spun around. "Eh?!"

"What is it?" I asked, raising my head from the cool desk top.

"My lunchbox isn't here," she began to look around her desk. "I could have sworn I had it this morning."

"Takamachi-san," a classmate called from the door, "you have a visitor!"

We both turned our attention towards the door and noticed that Lanster-san was there.

"I wonder what the council president wants," Nanoha asked in confusion. "I hope I am not in trouble."

"Maybe she's here to chastise you for throwing me again this morning." I turned my head to my right and continued to rest on my arms, giving Nanoha a little smirk.

"Mou~!" She puffed her cheeks. "I told you I was sorry already!" Crossing her arms, she started to march just a bit angrily towards the door.

I sighed to myself a little before noticing that Nanoha was motioning for me to come to her as well. With a slight groan I slowly stood up and made my way over to them, noticing a slightly stern expression placed on Nanoha's face. _"Uh oh...what happened this time?"_ was the only thought that came to my mind as I finally reached them.

"Testarossa-san," Lanster began, "I wanted to ask you something."

"What is going on here?" another voice interrupted her.

We all turned towards the sound of the voice and saw a rather shocked Yuuno Scrya. He jumped back slightly at the pressure that the council president was putting on him for interrupting her. I would have to prod at him later about it, of course.

"As I was saying," Teana Lanster continued, turning her attention back to me. "I wanted to ask you something. Something important." She narrowed her eyes. "I want you and Takamachi-san to follow me to the Student Council office right now."

Nanoha and I nodded to each other before turning our attention back to the younger girl.

"Let's be on our way then," she nodded towards the direction of the office and started to head in that direction when-

"Tia~!" Another voice called from behind us.

Before we could fully turn around, a flash of blue blurred past us and latched on to Lanster's back, causing her to arch forward and take a couple steps to prevent her from falling flat on her face.

"Subaru!" she almost screamed as she tried to throw the girl that was holding on her back like a leech. "I told you...not to run...in the hall!" She managed to speak as she finally dislodged the girl that had assaulted her.

"But you were taking so long~" the blue-haired girl whined, "and I was getting hungry already." She held up two lunch boxes in her hand.

"I haven't talked to them yet," the council president stated as she adjusted her uniform and fixed her hair. "We are about to go to the office." She glared at her blue shadow.

"Great! Why don't we all have lunch together there?" Subaru beamed almost too excitedly, much to Lanster's dismay.

"You all seem to be getting along quite well," yet another voice chimed in.

The entire crew turned their heads down the hall to look at the three people that were approaching us slowly. One was definitely Chrono, the other was Nakajima Ginga, and the last one was someone I had never seen before.

"Ah, Gin-nee!" Subaru waved over to the group as they approached us. "Would you like to join us?" She spoke cheerily. "We are going to all have lunch together at the Student Council office."

"Subaru!" Lanster started to get really angry.

"Um, Lanster-san," I interrupted the scene quietly. "What is it exactly you wanted to talk to me about?"

With a heavy sigh the council president shook her head slightly and led the way towards the office. One by one we entered and took a place around the large table that was in the middle of the room before Lanster walked over to the door on the other side of the room and slowly opened it.

"I'm sorry for the wait." She nodded to a person inside. "Please come in...Testarossa-san."

My eyes widened when I heard that name. I slowly stood up from my seat, my breath catching in my throat.

"Alicia?!" Nanoha yelped, sounding just as surprised as I felt.

"Onee-chan!" I called out at exactly the same time.

The rest of the table turned their attention to my mirror image that was standing next to Lanster, dressed in a silver uniform.

"So, I was mistaken," Lanster spoke up and lead Alicia towards the last chair, across the table from me. "I was for sure thinking you were pulling a joke on us."

"Uwah~ they look _exactly _the same!" Subaru couldn't help but voicing everyone else's mental thought.

"That is why I was confused myself, at first," Lanster sat down at her place. "Anyway, the reason I called you two here was because Testarossa-san" she nodded towards Alicia "had something to give you."

"What is it?" Nanoha tilted her head in wonder.

"Your lunch," Alicia finally spoke, holding up a small, wrapped bento box.

"Ah!" Nanoha gasped out and pointed towards the box. "How did you end up with it!?"

"When you threw Fate this morning it fell out of your bag. I thought it was mine until I got to school," she responded calmly, sliding the bento box across the table to Nanoha's place.

"Takamachi-san, " Lanster narrowed her eyes upon hearing Alicia's words.

"It was an accident!" Nanoha put up her hands in front of her shaking them side to side.

"She's right," Alicia interrupted. "Fate was the one who initiated it, so she got what she deserved."

"Ah hahaha~" I scratched the back of my head and sweat-dropped when everyone turned their attention to me.

"Anyway, Testarossa-san," Lanster said after clearing her throat. "I meant the one that goes to a different school," she added after Alicia and I both turned towards her.

"Just call me Fate." I waved my hand slightly. "It would be easier for everyone whenever the two of us are together."

"Okay then." She nodded before turning to Alicia. "Won't you be late for your afternoon classes if you eat with us?"

Alicia shook her head. "No, afternoon classes have been canceled today." She mimicked everyone as we all began to open our lunchboxes. "I figured I would come here to drop this off before going to work."

"Well it is nice of you to join us," Ginga smiled and offered her hand. "I am Nakajima, Ginga. Subaru's older sister," she pointed at the girl who was trying to steal some food from Lanster's box.

"Ahahaha~" Subaru waved sheepishly at being caught and slowly backed up after receiving a disapproving glare from Lanster. "I am Nakajima, Subaru. Nice to meet you."

"I am Lanster, Teana" the president spoke. "Teana works fine for me." She nodded. "That goes for everyone as well."

"She already knows myself, Nanoha, Chrono, and Yuuno," I pointed out. "But..." I looked at the last remaining girl.

She stood up and placed her hands in front of her. "Hello everyone, I am sorry for the late introduction. My name is Limiette, Amy. I am a friend of Chrono-kun, here."

_"Ah__,__" _I thought to myself. _"She is that girl who wants to be an officer cadet and wants to work in the police force's research and intelligence gathering.__ I've seen her several times and judging from the books __she's__ always carrying around, those are apparently her specialties._"

"You lucky devil," Yuuno teased. "Why didn't you tell us she was your girlfriend." He elbowed the stunned male in the side.

"W-what the hell are you talking about!?" Chrono lost his composure.

Amy blushed deeply and looked down towards the ground.

"Hmmm~" Ginga joined in and pulled out a notepad and pencil. "So, Amy-san, since when did you two start dating?"

Pretty soon, everyone at the table was making friendly jokes at them. Everyone that is, but us twins. While they were all laughing and having a good time, Alicia and I were having a secret conversation with our eyes. I don't know how to explain it, but I guess we twins have a special connection that allows us to understand each other without words. Eerie enough much like how our mother does it to me all the time. I shivered at the thought. There was something in my sister's eyes, something I couldn't figure out. She wanted to tell me something, but I just couldn't understand. It was obvious she understood everything I was telling her though, like how glad I was to see her again, how it was nice that Nanoha was the one who linked us back together, or like how I was incredibly grateful that she accepted the invitation to have dinner with us tonight.

"Fate-san? Alicia-chan? What's wrong?" Nanoha interrupted us, concern written on her face.

Alicia just leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes.

"It's nothing," I shook my head and smiled before joining the rest of the table in picking on Chrono and Amy.

* * * * * * * * * *

"School is finally over," I sighed to myself, stretching as people started to disperse to their clubs and prepare for cleaning duty.

"You ready to go, Fate-chan?" Nanoha called over next to me.

"Yeah I'm ready to - did you just call me 'Fate-chan'?" I looked up at her surprised, almost hitting my head on the side of the table when I reached over to pick up my bag.

"I can't?" She looked a little hurt and worried as she asked, her blue eyes almost pleading, saying that if I said 'no' she'd burst into tears.

"Ah! No, its fine!" I quickly recovered. "You can call me that."

"Nyahaha~" she gave her signature laugh as she picked up her bag and stood up, fixing her hair as it fell over her shoulder.

"Shall we?" I offered.

"What about Chrono-kun and them?"

"Ah, Onii-chan is walking Amy-san home and Yuuno has cleaning duty today." I looked up at the ceiling and tried to remember everyone's schedules. "So that leaves you and me today." I grinned at Nanoha who backed away from me slightly. "Oh come on," I teased.

"Hmm," Nanoha pondered. "I still have work to do today." She closed the door to her shoe locker.

"Mind if I walked you there?" I offered. "I would like to see where you guys work. That and mom probably wouldn't let me inside unless I had both of you with me." I laughed lightly as I reminded her. "So where do you work?"

"I work at this place called The Shiny Sword Café," she stated as we made the first turn away from the school gate. "It's a really nice place that your sister works at."

"The Shiny Sword Cafe, huh?" I pondered "I've never heard of that place before. Where is it?"

"It's actually a little bit past my house," she answered looking both ways down the side of the road before stepping onto it. "The atmosphere there is really nice and calming. You should go there sometime."

"Hmmm~" I mused as I continued to follow her down the street "What about the workers there? Are they nice?"

"Well..." Nanoha thought for a bit. "Radiant Beam, the owner and Mistress of the cafe has…an interesting way of doing things." She scratched her cheek. "Even now I still don't quite completely understand her. She seems to have a good personality, even though all the books I see her reading all the time were full of angst."

"Interesting?" I couldn't help my curiosity.

"You'll see when we get there," she sighed. "It's hard to explain what she's thinking."

"What about everyone else?" I looked around the corner to make sure we wouldn't run into anyone.

"Well there is Alavon, she runs the cash register." She nodded when I pointed towards the left fork the road. "She is an archaeologist by trade, knows a lot of history and stuff. She is taking a break right now so she decided to work with us. She's got a bright personality and really likes me. She's been showing me pictures of all the places she's been to and even brings in stuff from her excavations sometimes."

"Ehh~" I noted to myself, "She would match pretty well with Yuuno." I smirked to myself. "She'd be like his Indiana Jones."

"Does Yuuno-san like those topics?" She looked over at me, curious.

"Yeah, he's trying to shoot for a history major." I laughed at the old memories of him going excited every time we passed by the history section of the school library. "Anyway, what about the others?"

"Let's see," she racked her brain as we turned towards the shopping center. "There is Raiser. He's the only guy working there."

"The only guy, eh?" I teased. "But you already have Alicia-onee-chan."

"Mou~ It's not like that!" she pouted. "Raiser is more like someone we can all go to -- you know -- like an older brother or something." She stopped to look at a small collection of jewelry through the window. "He's honest, helpful, and quite level headed. He's the oldest member there; I think Alicia-chan was saying that he helped the Mistress a lot when the cafe first started, so they seem to be old friends."

"That is an interesting group of people you work with," I smiled as we left the shopping mall and started the last stretch towards the cafe.

"There is...one more person," she hesitated.

"Oh?" I tilted my head and looked at her, trying to figure out the reason for the hesitation.

"The last person working there…is Satashi." she slowed her pace, as if to give more time for explanation.

"Satashi?"

"Yeah..." she sighed. "Satashi is the enigma. I still don't know much about her yet, much less how to really approach her." She scratched her cheek, trying to find the best way to describe her thoughts.

"They really that strange?" I offered a crooked smile.

"Well...I don't know how accurate this is," she began again. "But Alicia-chan said that Satashi was a porn star..."

"WHAT?!" I almost tripped as the shock of what she said hit me. "What did you just say?"

"Those are my thoughts exactly," she nodded towards me. "I wasn't quite sure how accurate it was, but Satashi always wore a set of ears on her head - whether it was by the Mistress' command or her own accord I don't know-and whenever she looked at me..." she shuddered a little bit, "it always seemed like she was able to see right through me. It was almost like those golden eyes of hers were trained to see through people's clothing."

"Ahahahaha..." was the only thing I could say to that comment.

"Here we are." Nanoha stopped in front of a building. "Welcome to The Shiny Sword Café," she did a cute little bow as she opened the door. "I'm here!" she called in. "I brought someone with me!"

"Ah, Nanoha-chan!" A lady behind the counter greeted us. "Welcome."

"Hey Alavon," Nanoha greeted.

"Hey, you're here early," a man came up to us carrying a small stack of plates to be set out.

"When did you change?" A shorter girl followed him out and directed the question at me. "I thought you were supposed to be inventorying the stuff tonight since you were leaving early, Alicia."

"Umm…" I began.

"She's not Alicia-chan," Nanoha continued for me. "She is--"

"Fate Testarossa," a voice called from behind the crowd. A woman stepped forward that had a managerial aura around her. "Alicia's twin sister."

"What about me?" Alicia stepped out of the back room. "What?" She raised an eyebrow when Alavon, Raiser, and Satashi looked at her then looked back at me.

"You knew, Mistress?" Raiser asked, putting down the plates.

"Why didn't you say you had a twin?" Alavon fired the next question.

"She looks just as good as you," Satashi commented, cupping her chin with her hand and eying me just the way Nanoha described earlier. I felt a chill go down my spine and I instinctively wrapped my arms around my chest and turned sideways.

"That's enough, Satashi." The Mistress spoke smoothly. "Welcome to The Shiny Sword Café," she nodded lightly to me. "Fate Testarossa."

"How do you know about me?" I couldn't help but ask, the shock must have been written all over my face.

"Your mother comes here often," Alavon answered. "She comes here to drop of stuff all the time for Alicia-chan."

"But how come Testarossa-san never mentioned that Alicia had a twin?" Raiser brought up another point, one that I was curious to find the answer to as well.

"And how come only the Mistress knew about it?" Satashi added.

"Precia Testarossa has her own reasons for not saying so," Radiant Beam answered and looked at Alicia. "The same goes for Alicia. They will tell you when its time."

Several nods and agreeing words were spoken by the workers as they dispersed back to their normal routes almost as if nothing has happened. The Mistress came up to me as if to answer any questions while Nanoha excused herself to get ready.

"Everyone is taking this quite well," I noted, looking around and taking in the setting of the café.

"Of course," she offered a seat down at a table, "we are a family here." She continued after we both sat down. "We know when and when not to ask questions. That is why everyone can accept the fact that Alicia will answer them when she is ready."

"I see..." I lowered my head a little bit ashamed that they knew my very own twin sister better than I did. "I'm sorry."

"There is nothing to apologize for" RB smiled. "Well, even though we haven't opened yet," she handed me a menu, "you can be our first guest of the day. Please feel free to order. It is on the house."

"Thanks," I gratefully accepted the offer.

* * * * * * * * * *

"You two were looking very cool," I honestly gave my opinion as I led both Nanoha and Alicia home. "That looked like an incredible place to work at."

"That was one of our easier days," Alicia sighed and adjusted her hair.

"What do you mean?" I looked at my twin in wonder.

"She normally has us wearing some kind of strange outfit," Nanoha answered. "Some are cute, some are interesting, some are...unique nyahaha~"

"I...see," I sweat-dropped and decided to leave the topic as is as we walked up to the house. "Jyaaaan~!" I presented as we got to the door. "Here we are."

"It has been a while since I was here last." Alicia looked up at the house, as if trying to encompass all the memories that she had.

"Wow, this is a really nice place. On top of that, it's not too far from my house," Nanoha noted.

"Welcome home, Fate," a familiar voice greeted us at the door. "Arf is here as well, she is helping me out with preparations."

"Hey Linith!" I called over as I removed my shoes. "Where's mom?"

"She will be here shortly," she responded as I ran past her to head to the kitchen and greet Arf.

"Welcome home...Alicia-sama," Linith bowed at the waist.

"Hey, now," Alicia walked up and hugged the older woman. "I'm home...Linith."

I came back to the door just as the scene ended and was about to introduce Nanoha when I felt a strong aura appear behind me. Firm hands were placed gently on my shoulders, forcing me to stiffen a little bit.

"Well done, Fate," mom's voice came from behind me. "You have brought them here as I requested." She let go of me and stood between myself and Linith. "Welcome," she began. "I am Precia Testarossa, their mother."

"T...Ta...Takamachi...Nanoha," she stuttered. I could almost bet it was from the powerful aura that mom was radiating. Whether or not she was doing it on purpose was a different story.

"Ah, so you are the one that has caught Fate's attention the past few days." She looked Nanoha over before turning her gaze once more. "Welcome home...Alicia." She smiled at my twin.

"I'm home...mother," Onee-chan smiled back and gave mom a hug.

"Dinner is ready!" Arf's voice called from the kitchen, breaking the moment.

"We better go," Linith laughed a little. "Come on inside Alicia, Takamachi-san." She wrapped her arms around said girls and slowly pushed them towards the direction of the kitchen.

I was about to follow them when I heard mom mutter something. Her eyes slightly narrowed as she stared at Alicia.

"The smell of blood..."

* * *

_A/N Precia Testarossa...just who in the WORLD are you?! XD Well hopefully all that will be answered soon hehe. The green link is below just as always. Like it? Hate it? Needs improvement? Please let me know! If you still see me making a constant error please bring it to my attention. I do read all the reviews, but I sometimes forget what mistakes I am supposed to be fixing. I'm so sorry about that, please don't think that I am ignoring what you stated T.T Anyway I hope you enjoyed this installment and look forward to the next one. orz_


	8. Chapter 7

_A/N Hey I'm so sorry about the delay of this chapter. Lots and LOTS of RL things have been keeping me busy. A lot of you have been mailing me wanting to read the next portion and hoping for answers to at least some of the questions you all have. I wont say that I will be answering all of them since...well...that would ruin the story! XD In any case. Sorry for the wait!_

* * *

**~~ Chapter 7 ~~**

"Thank you very much for the meal." I bowed after everyone had finished eating. Linith and Arf began to pick up the dishes and start cleaning them. I stood up to take my plate over, intent on doing the same, when-

"Don t worry about it, Takamachi-san." Linith smiled at me as she adjusted her short brown hair, keeping it from obstructing her vision. "You are our guest tonight. Please sit down and relax with everyone else."

"Oii~ Linith!" Arf's voice rang from the kitchen. "Get over here! We've got a lot of work to do."

"Hai!" Linith took the plates from my hand swiftly. "Go on now," she nodded towards the living room, where everyone else was heading. "Coming!" she called over her shoulder towards the kitchen before turning back one last time to face me. "It's okay, just go." She nodded her head before turning around and quickly moving to help out Arf.

"Nanoha," one of the twins stuck their head into the room and called for me. "Everything okay? Come on, we're all waiting for you."

"Ah, sorry! On my way!" I blushed lightly from embarrassment before following the girl towards the living room.

My breath caught in my throat for a moment when I took in the sight of the area. The place was well furnished, covered floor to ceiling with what looked to be very expensive furnishing. The rug in the middle of the room was an Antiqued Blossom Oushak Rug. I bet that thing cost about 400,000Y (about 4,400 USD)! I slowly made my way to the couch next to the twins, my eyes darting from the giant flat screen television on the wall, to the well placed fish tank in the room, to everything else in between. I couldn't help but notice the words "Tribeca" carefully etched on the corner of the coffee table that Precia Testarossa had placed her cup on.

"You two go take a bath and change," the older woman spoke to the twins. "I would like to have a word with this girl, alone." She picked up her cup once more, drinking from it.

The sisters looked at each other, then glanced at me.

"I'll be okay," I smiled, reassuring them as they nodded, stood up, and headed upstairs.

"Prepare a set of clothes for this girl as well," she called to the two over her shoulder as they reached the base of the stairs.

"Eh?" I turned my head to the older woman, surprise clearly visible on my face. "Ummm..."

"It's getting late already," she smiled softly from just above her cup. "You also live by yourself, so there should be no reason to call home. Besides, this house hasn't had any real guests stay over in quite some time." She opened her eyes slowly, staring into the tea. "It would be nice to see this house lively again."

"Okaa-san..." Alicia whispered to herself before getting a poke from Fate, who motioned for them to head upstairs.

After a few moments of silence, the twins' footsteps echoing down the stairwell, Precia put her cup down and stared at me directly.

"I never would have thought," she began, "that I would meet the daughter of Takamachi, Shiro."

My eyes widened at the mention of the name. _"What? __Why? __How do you know my father?"_ The words died in my mind before they reached my throat. I could feel my body stiffen with the silence that followed her statement. I wanted to ask all the questions that were flooding my mind, yet at the same time I didn't want to stop her if there was anything else she wanted to say.

"Heh, so I was right." She leaned back in her seat and adjusted her hair to the side. "No, I am not mistaken." She narrowed her eyes a little bit, as if to confirm her own statement. "Your eyes are definitely that of Momoko's."

Yet again another bolt of shock surged through me. I couldn't believe it. There I was, sitting in front of someone who I had just met roughly an hour ago, yet she seemed to know more about my parents than I did! "_Who is this person? __Why does she know so much?__ What exactly is her relationship to my parents__?" _My mind began to flood with questions, so much so that I couldn't even grab a hold of one to begin asking. Then again, even if I did manage to get one, my body itself wouldn't respond to my commands.

"Calm down, Takamachi Nanoha." She chuckled lightly to herself, seeing the expression on my face. "I am not going anywhere." Leaning forward, she picked up her cup again. "I will answer what questions you may have." She took a sip. "That is why I sent the girls upstairs. I wanted to have a more…unrestricted talk with you."

"H-hai..." I began to loosen up and sink back into my seat, a little embarrassed at being read so easily. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat before looking back at the woman before me, who seemed to hold the answers to all my questions I'd harbored for so long. "Would you please...tell me more about my parents?"

"Hmm." The older woman leaned back in her seat, trying to get comfortable. "I guess it would be best to start from the beginning." She stood up and walked over to a bookshelf, pulling a green photo album from the shelves, walking back and placing the album in front of me, opening it. "Your mother, Momoko," she sat back down, "was my roommate in college."

"Ehh~?" I looked up from the photo album. "You two went to the same college?" I turned my attention back to the pictures in front of me. In them, a younger version of my mother and the woman before me stood together, smiling, laughing, or otherwise. They looked like they were having fun together in nearly every picture.

"Momoko was pretty outgoing," she chuckled, recalling all the old memories of the time they'd spent together. "She was a bit of a coward when it came to things she didn't know, or was uncomfortable with, so she dragged me around all the time." She sighed. "I had a pretty hard time you know. Ah, thank you Linith," she nodded towards the other woman, who had brought a bottle of alcohol and four glasses.

"Please excuse me," Linith bowed before picking up Precia's old glass and going back to the kitchen, striking up another conversation with Arf.

_"Four glasses?" _I thought to myself. "_There are only two of us...and I am really too young to be drinking__.__"_

"Would you like a drink?" Precia offered as she poured herself some. "It's very good."

"Ah, no thanks." I smiled meekly and shook my head. "I am too young to be drinking anyway, nyahaha~"

"Just like your mother," she commented before finishing the entire glass in one go, much to my surprise. "She didn't like drinking so I had to do enough for the both of us." She laughed lightly to herself, staring at her now-refilled glass. "Your mother would always scold me for drinking too much. No, it was more because she would end up being the one having to clean up the place after I went to sleep, ha ha ha." She pointed to a picture as I turned the page. It depicted a younger Precia, sleeping and holding an open alcohol bottle, which was dangling loosely from her fingertips.

"Aha ha ha...hahaha..." I sweat-dropped as I admired the pictures on the page.

"Takamachi, Momoko..." she said softly, as if trying to remember my mother's face. "A woman who was truly my friend."

"Testarossa-san..." I didn't know what to say. This woman obviously knew my mother very well, and even if I was Momoko's daughter, there was nothing I could do to try to lighten the memory for Precia. I looked back down at the pictures in silence for several more moments. My mother looked so happy in them. The more I flipped through the pages, the more I saw a part of her that I never knew. I felt both happy that I was able to know that my mother had a full life, and sad at the fact that I had only such a small amount of time spent with her. I continued to flip through the photo album before I came upon a rather interesting picture. There were 4 people in it. Two of them, I recognized as my parents. One of them was the woman in front of me. The last one…

"Hey, it's dad!" a voice came from behind me, causing me to straighten my back suddenly.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the sisters in matching clothes and twin-tails. At this point I had absolutely no idea who was who. They both came around and sat on either side of me while leaning in to get a better look at the photo album. I stiffened a little bit and became rather embarrassed. The two girls continued to chat away, as if they were completely oblivious to the fact that they had both leaned it rather tightly around me, their mirror images forcing me to come in contact with...

"You two like a drink?" the older woman offered as she filled her glass for what probably was the fifth time already.

"Hai! I'll take one!" the girl to my left raised her hand.

"Eh?!" I turned my head in shock. "Aren't you too young for this..." I took a stab in the dark and guessed who was sitting there. "Fate-chan?"

"Fate?" The twin looked at me, blinking blankly. "I'm Alicia."

"Then...Alicia-chan...still." My cheeks burned at the mistake I had made, and I lowered my head slightly.

"Oi~ I'm Alicia," the one to my right interrupted.

"Um...uh...er...." I looked from one twin to the other and continued to go back and forth until I started to get dizzy, much to their amusement.

"That's enough you two," their mother commanded after taking down another shot of half her glass. "Takamachi-san, the one to your right is Fate. Alicia is on the left."

"Mom~~"

"Party Pooper!"

The twins spoke simultaneously. Alicia grabbed a glass and began to chug down its contents. I watched in horror as she reached for the bottle and poured herself another glass. Fate, on the other hand, took very minor sips from her own glass, spending much more of her time admiring the photo album on the table as I had done before.

"H...how could you tell who is who?" I asked nervously while darting my eyes between the two girls, trying to find something, anything, that would help me differentiate them the way she had so effortlessly done.

"I'm their mother," she responded smoothly. "I'm supposed to be able to tell these things."

"So you've never made a mistake?"

"Nope, she never has," Alicia answered before chugging down another glass.

"Onee-chan! I didn't know you drank so much!" Fate looked disapprovingly towards her twin. "Control yourself!"

"Hai hai~" was the only response she got, along with another glass being downed, though it was done more slowly.

Fate sighed and turned her attention back to the album, shaking her head. "Mom," she began, "who are these two people with you and dad?"

"Those..." she sat up straight and massaged her left shoulder lightly, "are Takamachi, Shiro and Takamachi, Momoko..." Her eyes opened and stared directly into my own. "Nanoha's parents."

Alicia emptied the alcohol in her mouth onto the expensive table. Fate nearly dropped her glass from her hands.

"EHHH?!" they said in one voice. "How do you know her parents?!" The voices were so in sync that it sounded like a single person was speaking, perhaps into a microphone.

"You see," the older woman poured herself another glass, "as I was telling Nanoha, Momoko was my roommate in college." She drank half the glass. I was beginning to lose count how many she'd had. "As for Shiro...we were partners."

"Partners?" Fate beat me to the question. "Partners in what?"

"Ah, during the days you were a field agent at INTERPOL," Alicia answered, trying to steal the bottle away from her mother who, at the same time, reached for it before giving a disapproving glare. Alicia then began to clean up her mess after being motioned silently.

"Oh okay, when you were working in--EHHHHHHHHHH?!" Fate's thought process finally caught up with the information filtering in through her ears. "You were a field agent? At INTERPOL?!" She was practically screaming. "Since when?! Or rather...how come Alicia-onee-chan knows about this, and I don't?!"

". . ."

Silence suddenly filled the room after Fate's question ended. My eyes went from the shocked Fate to Alicia, who had a look of regret written all over her face, and finally to their mother, who seemed surprised at the sudden outburst. The tension started to build and I was feeling suffocated by it. I wanted it to end, so I wracked my brain for a topic to change the subject over to.

"Umm..." I slowly and quietly spoke up, testing the waters and breaking the silence. "How exactly did you know my father? He wasn't an agent...he was-"

"Yes..." She confirmed before I could finish. "He was a bodyguard, and a rather good one." The tension in the room dispelled a little, and everyone went back to a somewhat normal state. "I had the opportunity to work with him on several occasions when we had to guard high profile dignitaries." She smiled to herself. "As a matter of fact," she looked straight at me, "I was the one who introduced your parents to each other."

"Do you still do that?" The question escaped my lips before I could think properly, making me kick myself for asking such a personal question. "The dangerous work I mean?" I decided to continue since I was already halfway there.

"No," she shook her head. "I retired from field work several years ago. I am an informant now who sometimes works with Intel and interrogations."

"No wonder you're so scary," I heard a small mutter escape Alicia's lips. I decided to preserve my life, though, and pretended I didn't hear the comment as I picked up the book, looking at the picture of the four of them. "So you were the one who introduced my parents together, huh?"

"Ironically enough," she continued after putting her glass down on the table. "Your mother wanted to go on a double date with your father, so of course she dragged me along." She looked at the twins. "That is where I met their father." She laughed lightly, as if she'd made a joke. "At first I didn't know what to make of the guy." Her gaze redirected to me. "All he and your father ever talked about was Kendo-this and Kendo-that." Sighing and shaking her head, she added, "it was more like baby-sitting two boys on a field trip than being on a double date."

"Yeah, that sounds like dad", Alicia sweat-dropped and tried to laugh out the situation. "But mom, why did you eventually choose dad?"

Fate, whom had remained silent and nearly motionless since her outburst, raised her head with widened eyes. I could tell that she, too, was curious to hear what their mother would say to that.

"Hmm~" Precia thought for a moment, resting her chin on her fingers gingerly. "Well, I originally wanted to steal Shiro, but Momoko got to him first...so I settled for your father." Her eyes were laughing for her from over her laced hands.

"MOM!!!" Fate nearly screamed again, "can't you give us a serious answer?!"

"Alright, alright." she reached over to the near-empty bottle, pouring the last of its contents into her glass and swirling the liquid around in front of her. "Your father was rather selfish and immature sometimes, especially when it came to the topic of Kendo. If I hadn't been studying it myself when I was growing up, I never would have been able to understand anything he said. Despite all of that, I loved your father because he was someone who showed me his good and bad parts, and who also accepted my good and bad parts. Almost always...he made me forget," she quickly downed the entire glass in one gulp, "...why it was I chose to spend a lifetime with him."

Silence filled the room once again. The look on the older woman's face seemed to be a mixture of sadness and loneliness. Alicia seemed almost relieved while Fate wore a masked, unreadable expression on her face.

"That is enough for tonight." Precia concluded. "Leave your glasses here and go get ready for bed." She waited until we all got up before speaking again. "Fate...stay behind."

Fate nodded to us both before taking all our glasses with her to the kitchen. Alicia and I went ahead upstairs to the girls' room.

"I'll prepare the bath for you," Alicia nodded towards the bathroom while handing me a spare change of clothes. "If you wouldn't mind waiting a few minutes please."

"Hai."

* * *

**~~ Interlude 7-1 ~~**

"What is it mom?" Fate slowly sank back into her seat, looking a little curiously at her mother.

"It's about your father," the older woman began, her eyes serious.

"Why wasn't I ever told of any of this before?" Fate leaned forward and placed her hands on her knees. "How come Alicia-onee-chan knows more about this family than I do...?"

"Fate..."

"Why?!" she exclaimed, looking down at her hands. "Why am I the one who doesn't know anything about my own parents?!" She balled her hands into small fists. "Why is it that no one tells me anything…?"

"I'm sorry, Fate." She responded simple and crossed her arms.

"Why...why doesn't anyone tell me anything?! Why wasn't I told that Onee-chan was so close by? How come you never told me what your job was? Why were you hiding all this from me...?!"

"Fate," Precia began again, "I am sorry, but your father and I intended to keep our work a secret from you both. Alicia found out by accident, and she was old enough already that hiding it would have been useless."

"Then why didn't you tell me about Onee-chan?" She looked up at her mother. "I know you said it was because I never asked…but it's abnormal to not tell me at all."

"The only reason I can give you," Precia leaned forward and brushed her daughter's hair, "is that Alicia wanted to be on her own. If you had known that she was nearby you would have gone to see her, no matter what I said to you."

"Of course I would have! She's my sister! I still should have at least known!" Fate felt her eyes begin to sting with liquid fire. "Just like with dad," she began to sob quietly, "no one has told me what really happened." Lowering her head some more, she wiped some of her tears away before they could fall down her cheek. "All they said was that Onee-chan killed him."

"Yes..." the mother sighed, taking her hand back and crossing it with her other one before leaning back and closing her eyes. "That is what the official reports said."

"Is that...is that what really happened?" She raised her head and looked her mother in the eyes.

Precia remained silent for a moment before she replied. "The only person who can say what happened with absolute certainty," she opened her eyes to meet Fate's gaze, "is Alicia."

**~~ Interlude Out ~~**

* * *

"Here you go." Alicia handed me an orange-colored towel. "The bath is ready now." She pointed down the hall towards the last door on the left. "Call me if you need anything, alright?" She grinned at me and leaned in close. "Or would you like me to wash your back for you?"

Blood rushed to my cheeks as it dawned on me what she intended to do. "N-no! I can handle myself!" I turned my head away and tried to calm down. Turning back to the girl, I glared when she burst out laughing, the heat still rising in my cheeks. "Mou~ that's enough already," I pouted as I headed down the hall to bathe.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she apologized between laughs. "You were just too cute, that's all." She waved her right hand while her left wiped some tears from her eyes. "Anyway, take your time. I'll go prepare your room."

I sighed and went inside the bathroom, carefully closing the door behind me. I looked to my right and noticed two empty bins for me to place my clothing in, while a third bin held my change of clothing. I felt a little bad at having to borrow some sleeping clothes from them, but I was far from the house and I'd never expected to be staying over for the night.

"It's not like I'd be allowed to go home anyway," I muttered out loud as I unzipped my uniform skirt. "But to think I had this close of a connection to this family..." My mind thought back to the conversation at the table tonight. "I wonder if I can learn more about how my parents were if I asked her directly." I folded my skirt and carefully placed it in one of the bins. "I don't think I can, though." I shivered at the thought of having to talk to Precia Testarossa, alone, again, and when she was serious. I shook my head, willing the thought away as I placed my blouse in the bin and started to fiddle with my undergarments.

"Nanoha?" A voice called at the door, followed by a knock.

"Hai?" I didn't know whose voice it was, seeing as the twins were virtually indistinguishable to me still.

"Your room is ready." The voice paused for a few moments before suddenly speaking again, sounding sly. "It's next to mine...heh heh heh."

"Alicia-chan!" I turned around and instinctively covered myself up, despite knowing that there was a door between us. I could practically _feel_ her lips curling up into a big grin.

"Ha ha ha!" She burst out laughing, in hysterics. "I...I...ha ha ha!" I heard a small pound on the door, and I could imagine her leaning on the other side of it for badly needed support. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! The room is next to Fate's. Too bad, though, ne?"

"Mou! I got the message!" I glared angrily at the door as the sound of her laughter slowly faded away. "I don't think I can last long like this," I sighed, feeling incredibly tired all of a sudden. I turned the water on for the shower and began to scrub myself. "At least I'll be able to tell who is who by their attitudes," I mused aloud optimistically. I rinsed myself off, then slowly got into the warm tub to soak. It was huge, big enough to fit three adults comfortably, and that allowed me plenty of space to move around in. "Ah~" I sighed and closed my eyes, allowing the sensation of the warm water to wash over me.

* * *

**~~ Interlude 7-2 ~~**

"Onee-chan?" Fate called out for her sister while looking around from room to room. "Where are you a-" She cut herself off when she noticed her objective, moving silently closer to it.

Alicia stood silently in front of the family altar, a sheathed sword in her left hand and a Colt .45 in her right. Fate's eyes widened as she recognized the two items. They were both among her dad's most prized possessions.

"Father..." Alicia knelt down on one knee, placing the sword down next to her and laying the gun in front of her. She then lowered her head, closed her eyes, and placed her right hand on her chest. "It has been too long since I left this house. Almost nine years have passed without me having come to see you, and for that I am truly sorry." She opened her eyes and continued to stare blankly ahead of her, her voice holding in all of her emotion. "Father, forgive your daughter...for she has strayed from the path of the Shinmeiryuu which you yourself had tried to teach us back then...and which mom continues to teach me now."

"Onee-chan," Fate whispered to herself and looked on, unable to tear herself away from her sister's private moment.

"I have learned the teachings and techniques, but I am no longer able to carry on what they stand for. My mind and body have already been defiled and corrupted, so I am no longer able to continue your legacy. I'm sorry..." She took the sword in her left hand and raised it in front of her, at arm's length. "I have come to ask permission to retrieve your sword and your gun." She grabbed the hilt of the blade with her right hand, and slowly began to separate it from its sheathe.

"She has gotten stronger." Precia's nearly inaudible voice unexpectedly flowed from behind Fate, making the young girl jump in place. "Shhh~" the older woman made the motion, placing a finger over her lips.

Alicia stopped at shoulder width, allowing the dim light in the room to reflect off the sword. Her eyes gazed upon it as if she were entranced by the pureness of the glinting blade.

"I swear one day I will return this to you." She slowly slid the blade back into its cover. "Until then, please allow me to make use of it." The blade was carefully placed back to its original position to her left, replaced by the gun that Alicia now slowly raised in its place. "This weapon of yours has been one of the things that's protected you and this family for some time. I am also borrowing this, in order to protect myself." She almost seemed to loosen up as a quiet chuckle escaped her. "I know...I sound like a coward, hiding behind a gun after everything I have been taught, but with this, I feel like another part of you is with me."

Precia tapped her younger daughter on the shoulder, motioning for them to leave. Fate nodded and slowly crept away, sparing one last glance at her sister in her private moment.

"Well then," Alicia stood up and assumed the stance she had before. "I am going to say 'good night' to you now, before mom finds me and yells at me for staying up too late, ha ha ha." She gave one last deep, long bow. "Thanks for watching over me...Father."

**~~ Interlude out ~~**

* * *

"Ah~ that felt so good~" I stretched after I got out of the bathroom. "I never thought a bath would feel so good after a long day!" I continued to dry my hair while slowly heading towards one of the rooms illuminated with light. I didn't know which room was prepared for me exactly, since Alicia had only told me it was next to Fate's, so I figured I would risk the embarrassment and ask, as opposed to looking around all night.

"Hmm~ so you want to stay in Fate's room tonight, eh?" A voice came from behind me along with a pair of hands, which that started ruffling my hair with the towel. "Pretty brave of you," the owner leaned in, whispering the last words into my ear.

"...!" My eyes shot wide open and my body reacted to go for a throw, but instead, the person behind me lightly kicked the back of my right knee, forcing me to fall forward before I could get a good hold on them. From the ground, I leaned and looked up at Alicia, who wore a victorious grin on her face.

"You are far too easy to read, Nanoha," she said as she offered her hand, which I accepted. "It seems you have some talent and skill. Why don't you ask mom to teach you how to refine some of it?" she added as she pulled me up to my feet. "Did your parents teach you?"

". . ." I couldn't word a response as memories of my mother and father began to flood my mind.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Alicia quickly apologized, putting her hands in front of her. "I didn't mean to bring up anything bad."

"Nnn~" I shook my head. "It's okay." I smiled for her and changed the topic. "By the way, which is the room I am staying in tonight?"

"That one," she pointed to the door a few feet down the hall. "It's not much, but I hope it will suit your purposes for tonight." She led me to the door. "I'll ask mom about teaching you in the morning. I am sure she'll be delighted."

"Thank you, Alicia-chan." I smiled at her, opening the door and turning to walk into the room. "Good night."

"Good night."

* * * * * * * * * *

How long was it, I wonder? I kept tossing and turning in the incredibly comfortable bed. The silk sheets gently covered my body and softly conformed to the rather persistent thrashing I was gracing it with. I lay there for a moment, looking up at the ceiling and sighing deeply to myself. I didn't understand. Here I was, in a very comfortable bed, yet my body still felt restless. I decided to sit up and look towards the glass door that led to the room's personal veranda.

"W~o~w" I couldn't help but take in the beautiful sight of the silver moon when I pulled back the curtains. Its light was a soft glow that allowed you to fully enjoy the aspect of its beauty. "It's so pretty..."

"Isn't it?" a voice called from my left, causing me to snap to my senses. On the veranda next to me was one of the twins. "Can't sleep?" she smirked at me.

"Yeah…you too?" I carefully worded my response, leaving out any names since I wasn't quite sure which of the two it was. If Alicia had been telling the truth earlier, then that person would have to be Fate. Taking the chance to find out, I went ahead with the conversation. "For some reason, even though the bed was so comfortable, I couldn't rest properly."

"Ha ha ha," the blond laughed in response. "I know what you mean. Mom talked to me about a couple of things after you two left, and you could say it's really been on my mind..." She sighed and leaned on the marble railing, her arms crossed over the top of it.

_"Ah, so it_ _is__ Fate-chan__,__"_ my mind confirmed, allowing me to breathe easier, something which I guess I didn't hide too well.

"You thought I was Onee-chan, didn't you?" She smiled and pointed at me accusingly.

"N-no!" I raised my hands in defense. "I...just wasn't sure which of you it was." I looked away, a little embarrassed.

"You like her, don't you." The way she said it, it was more of a statement than a question. "Onee-chan, I mean." She gazed back up at the moon and continued to take in its beauty.

"Well, I..."

"You don't hate her, do you?" Her gaze shifted slowly from the moon to myself. Her ruby eyes and golden hair gently reflected the light of the silver moon. I became so entranced for a short while, staring at Fate, that I had practically forgotten to respond. "Hmm~?" she added, after I had remained silent for a little while longer.

"Oh! S-s-sorry!" I frantically tried to compose myself, much to the girl's amusement, sparking laughter from her. "It's not that I hate her." I turned around and leaned on my railing, tilting my head back to look up at the sky. "It's just that I don't quite understand how to approach her." I turned my head to the right to direct my voice towards my companion. "I like her, but I know very little about her, and the little I do know..." I paused and looked down, "is still very mysterious."

"I know what you mean." Fate lifted herself from the railing and walked towards me, getting as close as she comfortably could. "Onee-chan is still a mystery to me as well, and we're supposed to be twins, ha ha ha." As she laughed, it sounded nervous. "I wish I could help you..." her voice trailed off.

"...?" I turned to face her and tilted my head "What is it?"

"Nanoha," her eyes brightened like a grand idea just popped into her mind. "How about you practice with me?"

"Eh?" I shook my head and my expression stated that I was even more confused now.

"You want to get closer to Onee-chan, but you don't know how to approach her, and you are shy of trying the direct approach right?"

I nodded in response, remaining silent.

"Okay, then how about if you practice with me?" She repeated that phrase, hoping that I would get it this time.

"Umm..." Unfortunately I didn't.

"I'll pretend to be Onee-chan, which shouldn't be too hard since we're identical twins, and we can use this opportunity for you to build up your confidence so you don't sound like a stammering idiot when you ask her out on a date," she explained.

My eyes grew wider and wider as I continued to listen, and when she finally finished explaining, I was on the verge of shock. "Do you understand what you are saying!?" I raised my voice a little bit, causing her to "SHHHHH!!!!!" me in response. "Do you have any idea what you are saying?!" I leaned towards her, this time whispering loudly.

"What is so bad about it?" She tilted her head, completely oblivious to what I was trying to get at…or at least seeming like she was oblivious.

"But...it's just....you....!" I tried to form coherent sentences, but my mind was going so fast my mouth couldn't catch all the words and form it into a proper sentence.

"It will be fine," she waved her hand before turning back and looking at the moon. "I want to help you two out..." she said in an almost sad tone, effectively cutting off all other protests I had. "It's the least I can do for my sister."

"Fate-chan..." I didn't know what else to say. What she said made me want to ask so many questions, but the way she said it, I couldn't.

"Good night, Nanoha." She smiled one last time at me while adjusting her hair that fell over her eyes. "We can discuss this more in the morning. I am sorry for having you accompany me out here tonight."

"No no," I shook my head. "It was my pleasure. Thanks for letting me listen to you." I smiled back at her. "Good night, Fate-chan"

"Good night...Nanoha."

**~~ Alicia's Arc End ~~**

* * *

**~~ Bonus ~~**

"Ali...cia..." A struggling voice called out to the little girl, who stared at the owner in shock.

"F-father!" She ran up to the man and tried to catch him, just as his body fell forward. "Guh!" She grunted as the weight put a large strain on her little body. "Father! Father!"

"I'm...sorry...Alicia..." His voice began to wane as he struggled to get air.

"Hold on!" The girl almost screamed as she tried to push him to a standing position. The blood from the wound slowly flowed from his clothes, down her arm, and onto her yellow dress.

"It's...too late...I'm sorry..." He reached for his daughter's shoulders and tried to wordlessly reassure her that she would be okay, even without him.

"Father..." The child fought back her tears and grit her teeth in her struggle to keep him up.

"Alicia," he uttered slowly, gathering the last of his strength to speak, "take care of Fate..." With those final words, his eyes slowly closed, the flicker of life vanishing from within them as they shut.

"What is going on here?!" Linith barged into the room from the hallway. "Oh my God," she screamed. "I'm calling an ambulance!" Turning, she thundered back down the hallway she had came from.

A few moments later, Precia entered the scene and looked in, utter shock flowing through her at the sight of the blood all over the floor. Her body was so stunned by it that she couldn't move. All she could do was slowly turn her gaze from the red liquid covering the room, to her husband, and finally to her daughter.

The girl was obviously fighting back her tears. With gritted teeth, a blood covered arm, and stains all over her dress and body, she picked up her father's gun and slowly walked to her mother. With both hands, she offered the pistol to the older woman, making sure that no blood came in contact with the pistol grip. After a few moments of silence between them, she said the only thing she could bring herself to say.

"I'm sorry...Mother..."

* * *

_A/N Yes...These past few chapters were Alicia's Arc. Hopefully I made that obvious while still keeping it mostly in the character's perspective. Next chapter should begin a new arc. Who is it going to be? Hmm I dont know *grins* Hopefully this answered more questions than it brought up...but if it brought up more questions than it answered...maybe it was all part of the plan? *innocent smile* Well the link is below as always. Do tell me your thoughts ^.^ I love reading what you guys have to say. Until next time...orz_


	9. Chapter 8

_A/N: Yaaay here is the next chapter finally! (I bet lots of you want to kill me now lolz) Well do enjoy~_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**

* * *

**

My eyes opened slowly as the gentle sun signaled the beginning of the day. I groaned, and shifted my right arm to block the blinding rays while I slowly adjusted to the brightness. I contemplated drifting back to sleep as I rolled on my side and blinked absentmindedly at the clock which now registered 07:30.

"...!"

I gasped and shot straight up, before slowly floating back down while holding my head due to the sudden blood rush.

_"I'm so going to be late!" _I thought to myself _"Why didn't Linith wake me up like normal?"_

I slowly crawled out of bed and began to make my way to the bathroom when I happened to glance at my calendar. I stopped and looked at it, blinking maybe once or twice more before realization finally struck me.

"You idiot" I sighed to myself "today is Sunday..."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Good morning, Fate," Linith greeted as I slowly walked down the stairs "Why the tired look?"

"Please...don't ask" I whimpered while holding my still somewhat-throbbing head. "Where are mom and the others today?"

"They are at the training dojo in the back," she paused and handed me a glass of OJ. "Precia is checking up on Alicia's progress and Takamachi-san went along to watch."

"They're training?" I held my head while taking a sip and muttering. "Those guys have one hell of a constitution to be drinking so much and not have anything wrong with them…"

I thought back to the events of last night and my head throbbed when I remembered mom and Alicia-nee fighting over the wine bottle. Linith's voice snapped me out of my recollections.

"Would you mind letting them know that breakfast will be ready shortly?" she smiled and tilted her head in the direction of the back yard.

"Hai, I'll go get them." I shook my head slowly to check and see if I was doing any better.

After making sure that it had gone down a little bit I stretched and walked outside, taking in the cool morning air. I could barely hear sounds that appeared to be coming from the small dojo in the back. I approached curiously and peeked inside only to see Nanoha running around scared to death while Alicia-nee was chasing her with a shinai. My eyes widened and, before I knew it, my body had dashed inside. I ran over to the weapon rack, pulled out a shinai, ran in between the two, and blocked the attack.

Everyone froze in amazement for a moment before Mom broke the silence

"Hai, that's enough"

Onee-chan lowered her weapon and I followed suit before holding my head again - the headache returning as soon as the adrenaline had left. Nanoha ran over to my side and held me up just to make sure.

"Are you ok, Fate-chan?" she asked worriedly, allowing me to lean on her for some support

"I'm ok" I smiled softly at her concern "How about you?"

"I'm fine...thank you" she smiled back

"Hmm~" Mom thought aloud.

"Since Fate is here, how about a little skirmish?" she offered "A short kendo match."

"Eh? But I haven't done Kendo seriously in a while now!" I complained

"What do you think, Takamachi-san?" Mom turned to Nanoha, completely ignoring my protest "You could learn a few things yourself."

"H-hai..." the girl agreed, more out of fear than out of willing compliance.

"There you have it." She turned to us "Fate. Alicia. Prepare yourselves for a match."

I groaned to myself and started donning the kendo armor. Onee-chan didn't seem all too worried about it, but she didn't act as if she was too happy about the situation either. We got into position minutes later with Arf as our referee.

"Watch closely, Takamachi-san" Precia spoke softly to the girl next to her.

"Begin!" Arf shouted

Alicia stepped to her right slightly and lunged forward. I recognized the attack as a kote strike so I moved in and raised my shinai over my head swung down.

"Men!" I shouted as the strike landed

"Men-ali!" Arf announced as we turned around.

Alicia and I charged each other again and locked weapons. We pushed on each other for several moments before I took a step back and let her forward momentum carry her towards me and into my strike

"Do!" I called out again as her weapon raised up just enough for mine to land a hard strike on her chest armor.

"Do-ali!" Arf called again.

"Wow..." Nanoha looked on in wonder

"Fate-chan is really good…" she murmured to my mother. Precia merely nodded.

"Even though Fate quit kendo a while ago, her body still remembers the movements. She is talented after all." Mother paused, then continued her musings. "Its unfortunate that, even though they are twins, the talent has gone to only one of them."

"You mean...?"

"Yes," she nodded without looking at Nanoha, "Alicia has no talent whatsoever, so in order for her to make up for the 'disadvantage' as she likes to call it, she's been practicing endlessly." Here, she narrowed her eyes "However, in a kendo match she will never beat Fate."

"Is Fate-chan so much better than Alicia-chan?" Nanoha asked as she watched our last bout

"Kote!" I screamed out as I landed a strike on Alicia's hand guard.

"Kote-ali!" Arf announced. "Match set! Winner, Fate!"

Precia folded her arms.

"You see, Takamachi-san, scoring in kendo requires perfect footwork, a strong yell, and follow-through." She turned her attention to Nanoha "Without these three in unison, you will never score a point. Alicia, you can say, has been 'tainted' and that is why she will never win. However..." She turned her attention back to us. "One last bout. This time...it's a fight."

"Huh?" I asked, rather confused with the new setting.

"You can fight however using the shinai. The winner is the one who loses their weapon or gives up." she sat back down and looked over at Nanoha "Watch closely."

I turned around and observed as Alicia took off her helmet. I felt that it would be a little discourteous if I didn't do the same, so I removed mine as well. I was stunned, however, when she dropped her gloves and her chest armor as well.

"Onee-chan," I spoke up "Are you sure you know what you are doing?" I inquired.

I received no answer – Instead, I found the tip of her shinai in my face.

"Begin." Mom's voice echoed through the dojo.

I took the normal Kendo stance with my weapon in front of me to be able to react to any kind of attack. Alicia, on the other hand, had yet to raise her weapon. I wasn't quite sure what she was planning, but I was hesitant to strike her when she had no armor on and her weapon pointed down.

"Don't hesitate, Fate!" Mom's voice came from the side as if she were reading my mind, "Alicia is more than ready."

With that, I erased all hesitation and charged at her. Noticing my action, she did the same. Our distance closed quickly and our weapons collided. Loud echoes filled the room as the battle ensued with weapon screaming against weapon. She performed a circular strike to my left shoulder, which I managed to block and push back before spinning around and using the momentum and horizontal arc to try and aim for her back.

She raised her shinai over her right shoulder and thrust the weapon downward before catching it with her left hand and used that brace to stop my attack. She then used her body weight to push my strike back before whirling around with a arc meant to decapitate me. I ducked just in time and retreated several steps.

"...Excellent." she grinned at me, slightly out of breath.

"Unhhh!" I gasped out, amazed I avoided a rather devastating blow. Even though our weapons were indeed wood, had she hit me on the side of the head, I would have definitely been in pain. I didn't realize it at first, but my body was starting to sweat.

Nanoha gazed at us with wide eyes. At first she thought the two of us were equally matched...but it was soon becoming apparent which way the scale was beginning to tip. It seemed as if Alicia's power had increased since we were no longer fighting under the kendo rules. Since this battle no longer had limitations or restrictions on how to engage your opponent, she was free to strike wherever.

"Uh oh…" Arf spoke out from next to Nanoha

"What is it?" The brunette turned her head to ask the older girl.

"Alicia is finally unsealing herself," Mom answered with an anticipating smile on her face. "Remember what I told you, Takamachi-san - Alicia will never defeat Fate in a kendo match, however..." She turned her attention back towards the two of us.

My sister's sword clashed with mine.

"You seem to have gotten better from the time we were kids!" Alicia spoke to me, "Even though it was so long ago, you've still managed to maintain yourself despite me training everyday."

Her red eyes narrowed. I eyed her warily.

"Onee-chan..."

"Then how about this, Fate...?"

The hem of her outfit lightly brushed across the ground. With an elegant step so unlike the wild charge from earlier, she crouched and brought her weapon across her right side.

"Keh!" I prepared my defenses as I noticed that it was a set-up even heavier than the first one.

Merely seeing her like that made me shudder.

"...Hiken!" she charged at me with incredible speed. "Samidarekiri! 五月雨斬り ("May Rain Cutter")"

Once again, our weapons collided. She slashed in four different strokes and I managed to stop them all. She ended up behind me after the bout, the two of us almost back to back.

"..."

"... ... ...guh...rrrgh!"

Pain shot through my body in some places that were not protected by the kendo armor, stating the obvious that I was mistaken in my assumption that I had blocked all the strikes.

Upon hearing my groan Alicia spun around and tried to finish me off with a vertical strike downward. Fortunately for me, my body jumped forward on instinct and avoided the blow.

I spun around and looked straight into my sister's eyes and noticed that they were different. It seemed as if they were filled with hate and outright anger, as if she were staring at something she wished to destroy with all her power.

"Tch..." Alicia held her head, her eyebrows knit together in an irritated grimace when she noticed a thin line of blood had trickling down her forehead. "Allowing me to strike your flesh so you could cut my bones...What a lowly tactic." Her eyes flared. "But, I'll let it go since it has been a while."

I grit my teeth and raised my weapon up again. Her attacks had hit me right where it would cause the most problem: my joints. She knew my elbows and knees wouldn't be protected by that armor and that we were no longer fighting under a set of pre-established rules. Then again, I knew that as well, or else I wouldn't have aimed for her head.

"Hnn…. Ahahahahaha!" She burst into an unusual laugh, leaving me to glance quizzically past my shinai. "This anger, this _**excitement!**_ I have been longing for them! You truly have my thanks, Fate!"

With that she pointed her weapon at my chest. "Now then, _sister,_ show me an even greater power than before!"

She turned her body to the side and raised her weapon to eye level, drawing back the hilt. "If not, then your life ends at the tip of my weapon!"

"This is most definitely not good!" Arf couldn't hold her tongue much longer. "Alicia, don't do it!" she called out to us.

I turned to look at Arf, and that was when Alicia made her move. She charged at me and spun around when I was within her striking range.

"Hiken!" she shouted out "Hyakka Ryōran! 百花繚乱"

Her first revolution sent a powerful strike against my weapon, effectively knocking it out of the way. Her second revolution landed on the right side of my armor. Even though it was protected, the force of the impact was enough to cause my body to buckle and lose balance. Her third and final revolution was aimed at my head. Noticing that I didn't have a helmet on, I used my hand guards to block the final circular strike.

With that, my balance was completely lost and I fell to the ground. I lifted myself up on my elbows, thinking that the fight was over since I had lost my weapon, but instead my eyes filled with horror as Alicia drew her blade back

"Shinmeiryuu Ougi..." she shifted stances as if to pass down a death sentence upon me "Hyakuretsu Oukazan! 百烈桜華斬"

"FATE-CHAN!" I heard Nanoha's voice call my name.

I closed my eyes and wondered if this was it for me. I never would have thought that my own sister would use those techniques against me… I guess I was just too naive to think that she would go easy in a match like this.

But, none of that really mattered anymore. I braced myself to receive an incredible amount of pain. I was hoping, somewhere in the back of my head, that it would be strong enough to just knock me out so I wouldn't have to feel any of it until later. I waited as I felt the air of the strike.

***WHACK!***

A loud cracking sound echoed through the dojo. I thought that I had been finally hit, but didn't feel any sensation of pain whatsoever. I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the wooden sword in front of me. I followed it all the way to where they were crossed and followed the defending blade further till it ended up in my mother's hand.

"That's enough." she stated in a neutral tone.

"Winner, Alicia."

At that moment, it seemed as though Alicia's eyes reverted back to normal, like she was released from some kind of spell. She blinked several times before smiling and leaning over to me and offering her hand to help me up. I blinked several times myself at the sudden change and slowly reached my hand out in acceptance.

**~xX*Xx~**

It was already early afternoon and we had just finished having lunch together. We all took a break after this morning's skirmish and did idle chores around the house in the meantime. Nanoha wanted to help, despite being a guest. I had told her several times that she didn't need to, but I guess that's just the kind of girl that she is.

I sighed as I held the list in my hand "What the heck is Mom thinking?" I looked at the piece of paper in my hands, it was a grocery list for dinner tonight.

_"Here you go." she had handed it to me. "Since you lost the last bout you have to buy dinner tonight." _

_She looked at Alicia "Since you lost the first bout, you have to help me clean this place."_

_Then she turned to Nanoha "Fate will escort your home on her way shopping."_

I sighed again. "Mom is always so pushy..."

I put the list back in my pocket.

"Still, that was pretty impressive though." Nanoha said, remembering the match this morning. "I didn't think you were that good, Fate-chan"

"I still lost to Onee-chan in the end though." I gave her a lopsided smile.

"You did great though!" she tried to cheer me up, "I just didn't think Alicia-chan could be so..."

I smiled as she trailed off.

"You really do like her, don't you?"

"Eh? Its not like that!" she put her hands in front of her.

"Liar," I accused with a smile. "You were staring off with dreamy eyes earlier." I leaned in close to her, pretending to be Alicia "Ne, Nanoha...what if I did this to you?" I leaned in even closer.

"Eh? Ehhhhh! F-Fate-chan!" she started to panic.

"I'm not Fate." I moved it even closer. "I'm Alicia, remember?"

At this point our faces were just millimeters apart.

I could see the girl's eyes slowly starting to give in as her body prepared itself for what it thought was going to be a kiss. When she fully closed her eyes, I moved behind her and whispered in her ear:

"…That's a great reaction, Nanoha."

"...!"

The girl's eyes snapped open and she took a couple steps in front of her before spinning around.

"Mou! That's so mean Fate-chan!"

"Hahaha, I knew it!"

I couldn't help but tease her. It seemed so fun for some reason, probably because I knew I could do it without repercussions.

"Mou! I'm going home!" she started storming off.

"Oh come on! I'm sorry Nanoha!"

I caught up to her. "I said I'd help you out right? Right?"

"I give up..." she sighed.

We continued to idly chatter for several minutes until we finally reached Nanoha's house.

"Well, here we are."

I nodded to her. "Thanks for staying over, Nanoha."

"Thank you very much for having me," she smiled back, "I'll see you tomorrow at school?"

"Hai, see you then." I waved.

"Take care, Nanoha."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Tadaima~" I called out weakly as I entered the house. I couldn't believe the amount of stuff I had to carry! I swear my arms were going to fall off had I carried them much longer.

"...?"

I looked around when no response came and proceeded to take off my shoes. I looked down and noticed that there were no other sets anywhere

_"Huh I guess everyone's out right now."_ I thought to myself as I continued to drag the large amount of groceries towards the kitchen. I placed all the groceries on the kitchen table and breathed a sigh of relief. I looked towards the dining table where a small piece of paper lay

_"I want you to prepare dinner for us, even if it's something simple. I am giving Linith the afternoon off to go shopping around with Arf. We'll all be back around 1745, so try to at least be ready by then. Mom"_

"Ha?" I read the note again "She wants me to prepare dinner?" my hands were trembling

"But I only know so many dishes..." I looked back over the large mound of things I just bought.

_"She still doesn't trust me yet..."_ I sweat-dropped.

_"That is why she made me get extra ingredients...because she's expecting me to mess up."_ I sighed at the realization. "Might as well get started..."

I carried myself and slowly put on the apron as I began to sort out the items and wash the vegetables. I had cooked several times in my life, but always under Linith's guidance and supervision. Come to think of it...this is actually the very first time that I would be cooking all on my own. That in itself was enough to make me shudder. I just hope I don't mess up.

... _Too_ badly.

_"Hmmm"_ I thought to myself "_Mom said to make something even if it's simple. The most simple thing I know how to make is curry." _I looked at the ingredients I brought home "_I guess I can do that..."_

I walked over to the sink and began rinsing the rice out several times before putting it in the rice cooker. I plugged the unit in and closed the lid, turning my attention now to the potatoes and carrots. I took them to the sink and started washing them, thinking about how much of each ingredient I would need for my dish.

"Hmmm~ so this is what you are up to." a voice called out from the living room

I glanced over, "Eh? Onee-chan? When did you get back?"

"What do you mean?" She looked at me like I was crazy. "Did you forget that I had to clean the entire dojo by myself?" she wearily sat down on the chair and plopped her head on the table

"I thought you were cleaning it with mom."

"Yeah, but you know mom...I eventually did it all alone" she shifted lightly "Ah~ my body hurts~" she whined "I don't want to do that again~"

"Oh poor baby~" I teased as I started to peel the potato. "Help me make dinner"

"Whyyyy…?" she whined again.

"Because mom wants dinner made before she gets home and I am not so good at it yet." I admitted.

"Haha," she laughed at me, "good luck." She tiredly raised her arm in a shaky cheer before plopping it down on the table and closed her eyes to sleep.

"Fu fu fu fu fu~"

I began to laugh mischievously, making her open her eyes. "If you've been living with Arf you'd probably have heard what my cooking skills are like right?" I grinned "What will happen if you take your eyes off me now? fu fu fu fu fu~"

Alicia's eyes began to shake. Indeed, she had been told of all the horror stories about me practicing new recipes. Although I had learned and perfected cooking some small dishes throughout the years, I was still far from being completely independent.

"You can lay there and be satisfied!" my grin began to get bigger, "But soon, a strange dish that has never existed before will invade your empty stomach and there will be more and more of it."

I could see her shaking visibly from her position on the table as I walked up to her.

"Oh don't worry~ I'll make sure you eat every single bite." I placed my hands on her shoulders and started gently massaging "Ne~ help me out" I copied her whining tone a little bit.

"Argh! FINE!" she threw her hands in the air "But only because I don't want to die before dawn!"

She got up and trudged towards the kitchen.

I went back to washing and peeling the vegetables while she prepared the pot and the curry roux. We worked silently together while preparing the meal, aside from the occasional questions from her regarding the location of certain tools around the house.

Another fifteen minutes passed and we were finally looking at the last stage of the cooking operation; the simmering part that lasts about 30-40 minutes.

"See! You're able to cook!" Alicia finally broke the long silence after looking at everything we'd accomplished.

"Yeah, but I am not that good yet…"

"I feel sorry for your boyfriend." She chuckled at me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I glared at her.

"Oh, nothing..." She averted her eyes. "Just that you two would probably spend most of your time eating out than you would at home."

"Ha! I bet you have Arf do all the cooking for you!" I countered.

"Actually, I'm the one who does the cooking there." she smirked at me, effectively shattering my grounds for a counterattack. "Its a skill girls learn naturally, you know."

"Grrr..."

"That's ok" she patted my head. "When you become a real girl, I'll teach you how to cook. How's that?"

"THAT'S IT!"

I snapped and grabbed the spatula, swinging at her. "You take that back!"

"You are so easy to tease~" she dodged to the side.

"At least I _**have**_ a boyfriend!" I swung again "You are so callous that you can't even get one!"

"Wha? I am _not_ callous!" she grabbed the other spatula and blocked my attack.

"You _are so_ callous!"

We separated and I charged in again, swinging wildly.

"I bet that's why all the boys in your school don't even want to **try** asking you out!"

"Well, I bet _your_ boyfriend felt so sorry for you that he had no choice but to ask you out!" she parried my attack before making a counter of her own.

"Hey! Yuuno is a good boyfriend!" I shouted back before locking weapons with her.

"That's just it!" she pushed back against me, "He's so good that he sacrificed himself to go out with someone like you!"

"Wha-? **How dare you!**"

I broke lock with her and started attacking more furiously. At this point we had both completely forgotten that we were cooking anything until black smoke began to fill the kitchen.

We looked over at the source and noticed a fire starting to build up, coating the whole room in an ever-thickening haze.

"Wah! _The curry!_" I screamed and rushed over to the fire extinguisher.

"Shit!" Alicia cursed and ran over to shut off the stove while trying to peer through the dark smoke cloud. I ran in with the extinguisher and aimed at the stove itself.

"Don't do it!" she grabbed my arms and aimed it up just as I squeezed the trigger, causing the foam to coat the ceiling and fall down all over the kitchen.

The sudden action she pulled caused me to lose my balance and swing the small extinguisher around right into the pot, causing the said item to fall on the ground spilling burnt curry everywhere. We both fell down with a hard thud.

"Ita ta..."

I slowly pushed myself up off my sister and tried to recover my senses.

"Fate...get off me already..." she whined as I got up. Growling, she tried again.

"Oi! I said get-!" she stopped when she noticed what I was staring at.

Standing there, in the hallway, looking at us with very dangerous eyes, was Mom. The two of us could literally see a dark aura beginning to form around her body as her anger began to rise.

"I asked you two for one simple thing..." she started, her body now shaking in fury "and it seems you two can't even get that together." she raised her shaking fist slowly in front of her.

"W-wait! I can explain-!" I spoke up out of fear.

"Y-yeah i-i-i-it was an accident!" Alicia backed me up.

"Hooo~" she took a step towards us, causing us to reel back. "And just how did this 'accident' come about?" she started cracking her knuckles.

"W-well...you see..." We both swallowed.

"I wanted to give Linith the day off..." she started again, "I asked you two to prepare just a little something…" she repeated.

"And _this_ is what you do to my kitchen?"

At this point Alicia and I were basically hugging each other out of complete and utter fear. It didn't matter to us that we were both covered in foam or that we had curry stains all over us. No...right now our very lives were in danger, and it was not a very good experience.

"Well then..." Mom took another step. "I hope you are prepared to suffer the consequences..."

She stepped closer and closer and finally loomed over us. We both took a deep breath before shutting our eyes tightly and screaming in unison.

"_**Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~~~~~!"**_

* * *

_A/N Well I am so sorry that its taken forever for this chapter. No, I haven't abandoned it. Its just that things have piled up and I got lost with all the different stories I was writing. Hopefully this will quell you guys for a little while and keep you all from wanting to kill me for the delay lolz. RL is hard sometimes you know? XD Anyway the green link is below as always ^.^ I'm probably going to get a lot of angry reviews from people wondering why its taken me so long for this chapter lolz! I'll try to bring the next one out sooner. Until then, I hope you enjoyed~ orz_


	10. Chapter 9

_Yaaay chapter 9 finally! I bet some of you are thinking "Thank goodness it isn't 4 months later like the last chapter." lolz I'm sorry about that, but RL just takes priority no? Well I hope all the weirdness I throw in this chapter makes up for it. Or actually...you guys might end up killing me more because of it XD Well, in either case, please enjoy~_

_

* * *

_**Chapter 9**

"Good morning, Takamachi-san" Linith greeted me at the door of the Testarossa residence "Precia is at the back waiting for you." she let me in

"Sorry for the disturbance" I answered as I took my shoes off carefully and placed them on the ground facing towards the door.

It has been over a week or so now since that evening I first spent the night here. Several days since I found out the connection between this family and my parents. Since then, I have been coming here at Precia Testarossa's request to do some morning training to refine my skill.

_"I had heard from Fate that you have managed to throw her around a few times"_ the older woman's voice played through my mind _"I had also heard from Alicia that your body may have some talent, but are utterly afraid when it comes to dealing with weaponry. That being said, I want you to come by here in the mornings before you go to school - don't worry, breakfast and everything else will be taken care of. You just need to come here with a prepared mind."_

At first I didn't quite know what she was talking about, however I quickly found out what exactly she had intended. She began to "help me" by having me build up my endurance through the means of having me run around the entire back yard. Another method was to control my body's reflexes though sneaking up on me and throwing me to the ground whenever I wanted to do the same to her. Better yet, was when she wanted to watch me go white whenever she pulled a bladed weapon out. Frankly I think she was doing it more to enjoy herself than to help me, but I would _never_ say that to her for fear of death.

"Good morning, Takamachi-san" Precia greeted me as I entered the dojo.

"Nanoha is fine, if you would please" I gave a lopsided grin

"Alright then, Nanoha" she stood up and beckoned me over to her "Are you ready to learn?"

"Hai!" I prepared myself.

"I want to ask you something, Nanoha" she said as she began to slowly draw a sword from its sheath, the morning light reflecting brilliantly from its blade

I found that I could not respond at all as my body began to lock up at the sight of the weapon.

"What do you think the most important thing in combat is?" she lowered the blade and stared directly into my eyes. I could tell that this was a serious question and one that I would have to answer properly if I were to leave this place alive.

"Hmm..." I looked down and thought, trying to avoid looking at the blade "Strength...and technique maybe?" I did my best not to sound too nervous with my answer before looking back at her

"Wrong!" she drew the blade above her head and slashed down at me

"Uaaaahh!" I jumped back as fast as I could to avoid getting killed, landing on my back with a dull thud. I was lucky that she was only toying around, had she been serious, no amount of speed would have saved my life.

"Its courage." she answered, pointing the blade at my throat. "Without courage, you cannot calmly observe your enemy's weaknesses." her eyes narrowed "Without courage, strength is meaningless." she pulled the sword back and replaced it in its sheath "Without courage...you will never be able to use the techniques you will learn."

"B-but..." I could still feel my entire body shaking "I...I don't have any courage..." I looked down, disappointed.

"If you don't have any then gain some through training." she pointed the end of the sheath towards me "All things are gained through training." she walked closer to me and extended her hand to pick me up "Remember this, Nanoha: Your training will never betray you."

"Hai..." I accepted her hand and stood up

"Now then...let's begin."

**~xX*Xx~**

"...ha"

"..noha"

"Nanoha...come on wake up" a voice slowly woke me from slumber.

"Wha...?" I slowly raised my head from my desk and tried to regain my senses

"Good morning, Nanoha" Fate smiled at me, causing my cheeks to burn once I realized where I was

"Uh...I...I..."

"You must have been really tired from mom's training huh?" she looked at me worriedly "Maybe I should ask her to take it easier on you?"

"No, no it's ok, Fate-chan" I stretched out like a cat on the desk before pulling myself upright.

When I had finally realized what time it was, I realized that I had slept through almost the entire day. The only thing that was left was the final homeroom of the day. My stomach growled a little bit, reminding me of the fact that I had slept through lunch as well.

"Would you like some food?" the blond offered my bento box

"Sure that would be nice" I yawned "I should have something in my stomach before I go to work today."

"All right then, ahhhhhn~" she held my chopsticks out in front of me

"F-Fate-chan?" I drew back, embarrassed

"Just pretend I'm Alicia" she leaned in to match my distance "Ahhn~"

"That's even _more_ embarrassing!" I said subconsciously

She paused

"Interesting..." she grinned at me

"No! Its not what you think! I-amph" I leaned forward and she shoved the food piece in my mouth while I was talking.

"Eat first. Talk later" she smiled at me, preparing another piece of food "Ahhhhn~"

"I give up..." I sighed at proceeded to embarrassingly get fed, with several classmates cheering her on.

**~xX*Xx~**

"I'll swing by your work later ok?" Fate waved at me from the hallway. She had cleaning duty to do, so she stayed behind for a bit.

"I'll see you later, Fate-chan" I waved back before heading down to the shoe lockers. "Ah Yuuno-san" I waved over to him "Waiting for, Fate-chan?"

"Yeah" he smiled at me and waved to his girlfriend before turning back to me "Heading home?"

"I'm actually going to work, maybe make a couple stops along the way. I'll see you around ok?"

"Take care, Nanoha-san"

I headed to the shoe lockers and started thinking about what I was going to do next.

_"I do have time before I need to go to work. I am also sure Alicia-san is getting out of school soon." _I slipped my shoes on and closed the locker door "_I wonder how surprised she'll be when I go pick her up for once"_ I giggled to myself.

I made my way to the front gate and turned at the corner towards the other side of town. I decided to take a bus over most of the way so I could make it just in time for her to be leaving school. I pondered the entire time how I was going to surprise her when I suddenly showed up.

_"This should be interesting"_ I thought to myself as I reached my stop and exited the bus. I began to see students with Alicia's school uniform heading towards me, indicating that school was out for them as well.

I began to head towards the front gate and noticed my target. I had planned on sneaking behind her and doing a little "Guess who!" joke. I hid behind the corner and prepared to pounce as I awaited my target.

"Guess who!" I jumped out of the corner when a long strain of blond hair popped from behind the gate.

"Nanoha?" Alicia's voice came from behind me "What are you doing?"

"Eh?" I looked at her before slowly releasing my hands looking at the blond haired girl whose eyes I had just covered suddenly "I'm so sorry!" I stepped back quickly and bowed several times "I thought you were Alicia-chan and I was going to surprise her and...and..."

"Nano-chan..." Yet another voice called, stunning me into silence. I had heard that voice before...although it was a little bit older now...I could never forget it.

I raised my head slowly and turned towards the owner of the voice.

"Nano-chan..." the voice repeated once I made eye-contact with the owner "it is you..."

My eyes widened to the size of saucers once recognition washed over me

"Suzuka...nee" my hands dropped to my sides as if drawn by some unseen force

"It has been such a long long time, Nano-chan" Suzuka smiled at me and stepped forward to embrace me.

My body responded and took a step back as if in fear. Memories of the past flooding into my mind. I slowly shook my head from side to side as she drew closer. I wanted to run, to escape...but my body wouldn't respond to my commands

"Hai, hai" she patted my head several times to calm me down, sensing the water forming in my eyes "You are still such the cry-baby, Nano-chan" she smiled

"Um..." the two ignored blonds looked at each other then at the situation "You two know each other?" they asked in unison.

"It is a long story" Suzuka smiled "Mind if we went somewhere else for now?"

**~xX*Xx~**

"So..." The blond that I had mistaken for Alicia earlier started "What is your relationship with Suzuka?" she looked at me almost as if I were stealing her property

"Now, now, Arisa-chan" Suzuka patted the blond's shoulder "be nice. Nano-chan has been my friend since we were kids." she looked over at me "Nano-chan this is Arisa-chan"

"Bannings, Arisa" she nodded to me

"T-Takamachi, Nanoha" I responded rather weakly. The fact that Suzuka called me her "friend" cut deep into me

"You need to learn to speak up." she sighed

"Be nice, Arisa-chan" Suzuka gave a disapproving glare

"So, what's the story?" Alicia came back with our drinks "How do you two know each other?"

"Well..." I started thinking "Suzuka-nee lived near me when we were kids." I looked at her and she smiled back "She was always watching over me, even though we were the same age. I just..."

"Dont tell me it was something as cliche as her being your first love" Arisa stated blankly

My eyes widened and a short gasp escaped my lips at the dead on strike.

"No way..." she stated after catching my reaction

"Nnnnn~ so that's how it was." Alicia teased me "How come you never told me about this, Suzuka"

"It is a long story" Suzuka smiled sadly "I am just so glad to see you again after all these years"

I didn't know what to do...I didn't know what to say. So I did the only thing I could do: remained silent

"Alright" Alicia spoke up, reading the atmosphere "to our happy little reunion!" she held up her glass

"Kanpai!" we all chimed in and began to drink.

We all sat together for several minutes, the other three catching up with old times, telling stories, and making jokes. I sat behind and tried my best to fit in with the conversations, but my mind always went back to what happened with Suzuka way back then. Alicia had to leave several minutes through the ordeal since she remembered she had some shopping to do for her home before she went to work.

"Oh crap!" I spoke up suddenly, startling the two remaining people

"What is it Nano-chan?" Suzuka asked rather worried.

"I forgot I have work today!" I downed my glass and took out a few yen coins "I have to go! I'll see you later ok?" I didn't even give them the chance to respond as I bolted out the door.

**~xX*Xx~**

"I'm here!" I called out into the cafe as I entered the door. I had to bend forward a little to catch my breath since I spent the last 7 minutes running.

"You made it in time" Raiser greeted me with a nod as he placed the stack of plates on the table. "Good job, Nanoha-chan."

"Oi!" Alicia called from the back room "Hurry up and get over here!"

"You might want to avoid the office though" a sly voice called from behind me causing me to jump forward in surprise

"Satashi!" I whirled around once I recognized the voice. I seemed to have spun a little faster than I intended and slammed into Raiser.

"Whoa!" he caught me and tried to steady me some "You shouldn't be moving that fast." he slowly stabilized me "You ok?"

"Y-yeah" I quickly released him and looked back at the grinning midget with the moving fox ears. "Now what about the office?"

"Ah yeah." Alavon answered from behind the counter "The mistress is having a hard time trying to figure out what to write on her next story, so shes in a...'mood' right now"

"Are you coming to help or not?" Alicia stepped out from the back room covered in dust and her hair disheveled "We have to get these done before the packages arrive!"

"What packages?" I tilted my head in confusion as I slowly made my way to the back room. I felt a chill go down my spine when i saw the grin on Satashi's face. I felt even MORE uncomfortable when Raiser wasn't saying anything.

"You'll see" Alavon gave a uneasy smile and turned back to her work.

Raiser and Satashi chose that time to escape and proceeded to be "busy" with their own manner of work.

"Ne, Alicia-chan" I couldn't help my curiosity. "What package?" I tied my hair back into a pony tail and started helping her sorting out all the different boxes.

"Ah, the Mistress ordered some extra uniforms for us to use" the blond responded absentmindedly, not even bothering to look at me as she searched for the location of the item she was supposed to be stocking.

"Do you know what is in it?" I began to get worried "The others don't seem to-achoo!" the dust in the area started to get to me.

"Bless you." she responded sparing me a glance to make sure i was ok "And no, I have no clue what it is. We'll just have to wait it out." she placed the last box in its place "There we go." she dusted her hands. "let's go take a break shall we?"

"Hey, Fate-chan!" a voice called from outside.

"Fate-chan?" I repeated, looking over at Alicia as if she would have an answer "What is she doing here?"

Alicia shook her head in silent response and followed me out of the storage area to see the rest of the crew busily chatting with Fate.

"Ah, Onee-chan. Nanoha." she greeted us "I came by to see how you two were doing." she smiled.

"I wish I were dead..." a gloomy voice came from the office door.

All of us turned our heads towards RB who was slowly coming out of the office with a dark and depressing aura around her. Raiser braced himself to be the one to try to settle things, Alavon prepared a few things of her own, and Satashi made the silent signal making an X with her arms and slowly moved to the back of the cafe to watch.

"What's wrong, Mistress?" I opened my mouth before anyone else could react to stop me. Big mistake.

It was then that RB run up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck and started wailing.

"Nanoha!" she started to sob on my shoulder "I cant think of anything to write for my next Shadowfire story~!" she continued to cry like a little kid that just lost their candy.

"Eh? Um...uh..." I started to look around for help. Satashi was in the corner using both hands to keep from laughing, Alavon was getting ready to take pictures, Alicia and Raiser shook their heads, which left Fate and myself in utter shock and unable to do anything. "I-its ok!" I tried to pat her head gently. "Wait a minute" I creased my brow and looked at her closely and sniffed the fragrance coming from her "Are you drunk?"

"She gets like this all the time" Raiser picked up the crying girl off me "Come on, sit down"

"But I need more materials!" she grabbed his collar and started to shake him

"500Y says that he calls for the frying pan first" Alicia put her money on the counter. "She should be used to being hit with it by now."

"You're on" Alavon placed her bet.

"Ah ha ha ha..." Fate sweat-dropped as she watched the bet before turning back to the scene.

"Calm down will you?" Raiser grabbed her shoulders to keep her from squirming "You had too much to drink since you couldn't think of anything!"

"No! No! Let me go!" RB started to flail around frantically much to everyone else's laughter.

"If you don't calm down..." Raiser started to get serious

"Here it comes!" Alicia and Alavon leaned forwards as if awaiting the next words that were going to come out of his mouth.

"PACKAGE FOR RADIANT BEAM!" a voice echoed from the door, effectively ruining the moment.

"Ah~ its finally here~!" Mistress staggered to her feet with Raiser's help and walked to the door in a wavy motion.

If I didn't know that she was drunk, it probably would have looked like she was possessed or something.

"Thanks for the delivery Kaijo." she patted his head lightly "Do come in~" she meandered back to the table carrying the box in her hands. "Now then...here it is" she slowly opened it and pulled out all the contents.

"What...is that?" I heard Fate ask the question on my mind.

"Oh this?" RB answered with a really weird smile on her face "These are tonight's outfits!"

I wouldn't have been too worried had she been sober, but seeing her saying that while swaying slightly really didn't sit right with me for some reason.

"Here Satashi" she threw a small bag "You wear this tonight"

One of the ears on the girl's headband (at least I think its a headband) moved as if reacting to her thoughts as she opened the small bag and pulled out its contents.

"Wait..you want me to wear THIS?" Satashi held up a round red hat with white bunnies on either side. "You cant be serious!"

"What? You were a former porn-star, this should be nothing!" Alicia teased, trying to keep herself from laughing.

Before Satashi could respond RB spoke up again, as if ignoring everyone else.

"Hai~ here you go Nanoha-chan" she threw me a bag.

I opened it and pulled out what looked like a white mini-skirt with a tail cape. A matching white blouse, stockings, and shoes came with it along with several red ribbons and gloves.

"Ummm?" I looked at the items then back to her.

"That's called a 'StrikerS' uniform" she smiled broadly at me "I know it will suit you well." she turned to the twins "Since you are here too Fate-chan I'd like to enlist your help tonight." she turned back to the box and started to shuffle through some more. "Ok which one of you is who?"

"Fate!" both answered in unison.

"No you're not!" one blond started

"Quit pretending!" the other replied "I'm Fate!"

"Enough!" RB put her hands to her ears like a child who didn't want to listen to anything else. "You, wear this" she handed one twin a bag "You, wear this" she handed the other bag. "Go change!" she pointed to the locker room and ordered all four of us to march.

"Quite the crew you've got here" Kaijo finally spoke again, scratching the back of his head in slight amusement.

"Sorry you had to see that. Its not usually this bad" Raiser offered a lopsided smile in apology, before turning to make sure that RB wasn't falling over.

"One more thing~!" RB pulled out a brown cowboy hat and tossed it to Alavon before handing her a leather whip. "Here you go."

"Mistress...what is this?" Alavon looked at the items rather oddly before turning her attention to Raiser whose grin was slowly getting bigger. "What?"

"You're an archaeologist right?"

"Yes..." she answered slowly "So what does...MISTRESS!" she raised her voice once the truth dawned on her.

"Kyaa~ Save me!" RB playfully pulled both males in front of her as a shield

"We're done!" Satashi announced as 3 of us exited the locker room.

"Oooh~" looking good! Kaijo whistled.

I walked out in a StrikerS uniform with my hair tied into twin tails and in my hand was a staff with a large red orb on top. Fate-chan came out with a similar looking outfit but was black with gold trim and a white cape draped from her shoulders, her hair also in similar twin tails. She held a staff just like mine but had more of an axe head to it with a golden orb inside. Satashi wore a short red almost Lolita looking dress and held a staff like we did, but looked more like a mallet on the end. I found it rather funny how she ended up with a red bunny hat

"Good, good." Mistress nodded in approval while looking us over "Where is the last person?"

"Onee-chan doesn't want to come out...ahahahaha~" Fate put her hand behind her head and sweat dropped

"Hmm~" RB's eyes narrowed as she smirked "so she got THAT outfit"

"What outfit?" Kaijo asked walking up next to her to get a better view.

"Come on out Alicia!" RB yelled into the locker room

"No! Its embarrassing!" the response came.

"Come out here this instant!" she crossed her arms

All of us stared at the hallway to the locker room as red eyes slowly peeked around the corner and looked back at us.

"Any time now!" she tapped her foot.

My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat when Alicia finally came out in the open. She wore what looked like a black 1-peice swimsuit with a very short "skirt" that went all the way around at the waist held seemingly in place by a big red belt. She wore black stockings that went up to mid thigh and were also seemingly held up by smaller red belts. Another set of belts went around her chest and one more around her upper left arm. A black and red cape completed the ensemble while her hair was let loose.

"Onee-chan..." was all Fate-chan could say.

"Looking very good there" Satashi began to eye her and tease silently

"That looks...cute" Kaijo chose his words properly.

"..." I couldn't say anything, I was torn between admiration and laughter.

"Awww~" Alavon said as she started taking more and more pictures.

"Its embarrassing!" Alicia almost screamed, her face turning red enough to stop traffic. "Raiser! Say something!"

*Ahem* he cleared his throat "You know that does look good on you"

"RAISER!"

"What?" he raised his hands in defense "Its the opinion of a healthy male ok?"

"I'm so going to get you for this!" She turned her hand into a fist and tried to crush the air in it.

"Hai hai~!" The sobering RB clapped her hands a couple times to get everyone's attention. "We open in about 10 minutes. Get ready now!"

"Hai~"

* * *

_A/N Well I am so sorry about the delay on this one (at least its not like 4 months like the last one right? XD) Some moron broke into my house, took my 40in plasma, took my hello kitty wiimote (I have NO idea why THAT was taken), my laptop, and several other things. Most of it was recovered, but the TV and the wii mote is still missing (I'm still mad about the wii mote btw grrr~) Anyway, another twist of fate has occurred. Dont worry, I find it better to just throw little tidbits here and there hehehe. Yes I will end up explaining everything about Nanoha and Suzuka in a future chapter...maybe *grins*_

_Well the green link is below! As always I appreciate your comments and thoughts. and to make up a little bit for the delay of the last one...I will present you a small present fufufu~_

* * *

***BONUS***

"Nanoha?" Alicia called out to me as we took the trash out to finish the night.

Fate had left earlier that evening, due to a paper she had to finish writing for her science class.

"What is it?" I wiped my brow before turning to face her

"Was it true...about you and Suzuka I mean" she asked out of the blue

"What do you mean?" I tilted my head

"Was Suzuka really your first love?" she locked eyes with me

"Nyahaha~" I sweat-dropped "Umm how much more trash do we have to take out there-"

"Answer me..." her soft tone halted me like a wall.

"Yes...she was" I looked down as memories from back then flooded into my mind.

"What happened?" she asked the question I dreaded

"I..I.." I don't know what to do, I wanted to respond, yet at the same time I wanted to just forget. "I'm sorry..."

"Nanoha..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Nanoha" she called my name again, a little more firm

I stood in silence as I looked up at her. The moon behind her made her look really stunning and brought out the depths of her eyes. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I could tell she wanted to state something serious.

"Go out with me."

"Excuse me?" I thought I heard something, but I had to make sure

"I don't want to be a replacement for Suzuka." she took a step towards me, causing me to instinctively step back "I want to be seen as my own person." she took another step, forcing me to back against the wall. "That's why..."

"W-what are you talking about, Alicia-chan" I tried to laugh out the situation, but found that I was the only one laughing.

"Nanoha..." she lowered her head slightly and almost whispered "I really like you..."

My eyes widened at the declaration. I was unsure of what to say...rather I was unable to think of anything to say. I honestly did have some feelings for the girl in front of me...but do I like her? Was this just admiration because she saved my life? Was the openness I have been giving to her the past few weeks been because of us being together everyday? Or was I truly in love with her? I don't know...how could I possibly know? But looking into the girl's eyes as she lifted her head again told me how serious she was.

She stepped closer to me, pinning me to the wall with no escape, her hair waving lightly in the wind "Go out with me, Takamachi Nanoha..."

* * *

_Final AN: Yes, yes I know all I did was throw even more confusion into the fire, but all will be explained in due time...all in due time...maybe *grins* orz  
_


	11. Chapter 10

_A/N Well its been over a month again (I know I'm really slow with this one lolz) since this was updated so I figured it was time to start it up once more. Be glad it wasnt 2-3 months like 2 updates ago lolz. Sorry again as RL has been taking its toll and new games like FF14 have been slowly eroding my writing time away XD Anyway, here is chapter 10!_

_

* * *

_

_**Chapter 10**_

"Ohayo~" I called as I walked groggily down the stairs "Mom? Linith?" I looked around and started to wonder why no-one woke me up this morning. Everything from the kitchen to the living room and even the hallways were dark, as if nobody had lived here since last night.

The rays of the morning sun beamed through the open windows as I crept around quietly in my own home. It felt...strange. It seemed as if I didn't belong here... like I was some kind of intruder in someone else's home.

"What's this..?" I murmured to myself as I walked up to the dining table. A small letter lay in my mother's spot with the family crest sealing the envelope.

_"How outdated can you get?"_ I chuckled to myself and looked it over. I guess that was one of the things that set my mother and Linith apart from everyone else - they were the kind of people that didn't change for anyone. I carefully broke the seal and took out the contents.

_Fate,_

_By the time you read this, Precia and I will most likely have left. We have been...requested to help out somewhere. I am not sure how long we will be gone, but I am confident you will be able to manage without us._

_Don't worry, I'll keep your mother in line. She may be getting old, but she is still as skilled as ever. I just hope that she doesn't get us into any trouble like all those times before. Just remembering all those close calls gives me a headache._

_Anyway, breakfast is in the fridge. I've asked Arf to come by and check on you every so often, that way you wouldn't be lonely all by yourself. Your allowance is in the safe, also there is a card there connected to the bank in case you need extra cash for something. You know the combination, right?_

_I have to go. Precia is yelling at me, saying that I don't need to write such useless things on here. Seriously, she hasn't changed one bit. We'll see you whenever we get back!_

_Linith._

"..."

I couldn't believe what I just read. "No way!" I spoke to the letter "You just up and leave? What the hell kind of job do you do?" I sat down when a headache started to throb its way through me. "That's to be expected of mom..." I sighed, knowing that this isn't the first time she's done this to me.

I plopped my head down on the table and groaned at the fortune - or _misfortune_ - of having the house all to myself. It has been a while since I was the only one here, making the rather quiet abode rather seem unnervingly huge. I wonder why that is. Must be some kind of mental thing.

"_I might as well eat."_

I urged myself up and towards the kitchen "At least they made breakfast for me..." I smiled wryly at the small plate of food before taking it with me to the dining room.

_"I wonder what I am going to tell Nanoha..."_ I thought for a moment. Then my eyes went wide.

"Wait a minute!" I spoke aloud, "Nanoha should have been here by now!"

Realization washed over me. "They told everyone but *me* again! Argh!" I began to scarf down my food in agitated fury "_Why don't those two ever tell me anything!"_

A knock on the front door interrupted my thoughts, making me gaze towards the clock.

"Uwaaaah!" I screamed at myself once I realized what time it was. "Hold on a minute Yuuno!" I yelled towards the door "I'll be down in a minute!"

I scrambled upstairs, literally tearing my clothes off and throwing them on the stairs while I dashed upwards. "This is going to be a bad day..." I sighed to myself.

**~xX*Xx~**

"Good morning Nanoha, Onee-chan" I greeted the two at the front gate

"Good morning Fate-chan, Yuuno-san" Nanoha greeted us both. Alicia just nodded.

"I'll see you later then, Nanoha" Alicia let go of the brunette's hand "Pick you up after school?"

"Hai~" Nanoha nodded in return and leaned over to kiss the blond on the cheek "See you later~"

She ran over to my side while Alicia waved and headed over to her school.

"You two are already that close, huh?" I teased the blushing girl "Don t tell me you are going to do _*that*_ next..."

"W-w-w-w-what are you talking about?" Nanoha's face came right in front of mine "There's no way!"

"Ok, ok!" I jumped back in reflex.

"Still, you two are very close now" Yuuno chimed in "Something happen?"

"Listen here Yuuno~" I faced my boyfriend and smiled "Onee-chan and Nanoha are-"

**"Uwaaaahh~!"** Nanoha raised her voice and drowned out my words "You don't have to tell him that!" she wrapped both her hands around my mouth.

"But you two are going out!" I responded after struggling with her grip. "You came to me yourself a couple days ago all worried and everything since you didn't know how to respond to her!"

"Ooooh~" Yuuno joined in the teasing "So, you two have been together for a while now."

"Yuuno-san!"

"Come on, we'll be late," I called as the bell rang. "We can't afford to have our princess be late for homeroom after her knight came all the way here to drop her off."

"Mou! I dont care anymore!" Nanoha stormed off towards class while Yuuno and I stayed back and laughed.

**~xX*Xx~**

The morning classes were...educational as usual I guess. I wasn't really paying attention. For some reason my gaze kept drifting over to the girl next to me. Why am I so conscious of her now? Was it because of what happened a few days ago? Should I have handled it differently?

"...-chan"

"Fate-chan..."

I heard my name being called and snapped back to reality. I saw the instructor looking at me and stood up.

"Hai!"

"Page 27, line 3, 2nd paragraph" the voice continued

I picked up my book and began to read from the said area, breathing a small sigh of relief and stealing a glance over at Nanoha, who was giggling to herself a little bit.

"_Honestly..."_ I thought to myself _"... then again she was really cute then, hahaha..."_

I sat down once I finished my section and motioned a "thank you" to the smirking brunette before looking outside the window and going back to my little dreamworld...

**~~ Memory ~~**

**"**Eh? Onee-chan did WHAT?"

I was completely stunned when Nanoha came to me to ask for advice "She pinned you to the wall and demanded an answer?" I wasn't sure whether to be appalled at my sister's action or be jealous that she actually did something I wanted to try, embarrassing as it may be.

"W-well.." the girl responded "She didn't technically pin me. She just made sure I couldn't escape."

"That's called getting 'pinned' Nanoha." I sighed at her "So...what did you say?"

"I...ran away." she murmured, avoiding eye contact.

"You what?" I looked at her in confusion.

"I RAN AWAY!" she yelled at me with a brightly painted face, "I didn't know how to answer! I-It was so sudden and-"

"Nanoha..."

I moved close to her and put my arms on either side of her, just like how she described.

"F-Fate-chan..." I could see fear in her eyes.

"Go out with me, Takamachi Nanoha..." I mimicked and leaned closer to her until our faces were millimeters apart.

"F-Fa..." Her eyes started to get dreamy the closer I moved.

_"Let's see if this works,"_ I thought to myself and bit lightly on her neck, much like my sister did.

"Ahn~" a soft and very cute moan escaped her lips. I struggled with the laugh bubbling up in my chest for a few moments before I could take it no longer. I burst into hilarity before pulling back.

"Good reaction, Nanoha! Hahaha!" I wiped the water that was starting to build from my eyes. "Onee-chan really knows how to work you! Hahaha!"

"M-mou!" She blushed and stormed away several feet to hide her face. "Fate-chan no baka!"

"Sorry, sorry... ha ha ha." I calmed down a little before regaining my composure "Seriously though...you really should go out with her," I said with a straight face.

_"That was close..."_ my mind screamed at me "_I was about to...with Nanoha even..."_

"B-but I just don't know.." she sighed and sat down.

"Nanoha." I stood in front of her "I've been helping you out for some time now and I've been trying to hook you two up."

Her reaction was no surprise. "I've invested too much time and effort into all this to see it fail!" I pumped my fist into the air "So go for it!"

"Fuh huhhahahahahaha~!" the girl in front of me started laughing.

"What?" I complained

"You saying that...and that look...its just...not like you...hahaha!" she grabbed her sides "Help...it hurts ha ha ha!"

"You're welcome..." I glared at her hard for several moments before shaking my head slightly at the rather amused and hysterically laughing girl.

**~~ Memory End ~~**

"Fate-chan?" My name got called. "Fate-chan!"

"Eh?" I snapped back to reality

"Oi~ are you ok?" Nanoha's face filled my vision "Its lunchtime!" her face got replaced by the bento box she put in front of her. "Let's eat!"

**~xX*Xx~**

"Uwaah~ so gooood~" Nanoha proclaimed as she acquired, or rather took without permission, a piece of Subaru's lunch and popped it into her mouth.

"Ahh! That was mine!" Subaru exclaimed and tried to steal a piece from Nanoha's box.

"Subaru!" Teana slammed her hand on the table "Quit acting like a kid!"

"But, but Nanoha-san took a piece of the lunch you made me~"

"You don't have to say such things!" the student council president's face flared up. "Just sit down and eat!" She looked at us around the table "How in the world did you all end up here anyway?"

"Well Subaru invited me" Ginga chimed in "and I thought it would be better for everyone else to be here so I invited Nanoha-san and the others."

"Whatever..." Teana sat back down and sighed heavily, holding her head as a headache started to erupt.

"Where is Chrono?" I asked, looking around the student council table that now served as our lunch point.

"Ahhhh~" Ginga had a grin on her face "He's busy eating with you-know-who up on the roof~"

"No way!" I dropped my chopsticks "They're already that far?"

"What are you so surprised about? You and Yuuno-san are already that far. What, your 'brother' isn't allowed to catch up to you?" she smirked and leaned in closer "Are you afraid hes going to pass you~?"

"Dont be ridiculous!" I retorted "I could care less what he's doing right now!"

"Hmm~ you could care less if he was doing _this_ and _that_ eh?" she smiled, making everyone else in the room blush at the comment.

"A-anyway!" I tried to change the subject "I'm surprised Onee-chan isn't here skipping school again" I looked at Nanoha "Must be hard on you hmm~?"

"Fate-chan!"

"All in all I hope she isn't getting herself into too much trouble..." I thought again "Ah, who am I kidding..."

**~~ Interlude 10-1 ~~**

"Testarossa-san?" a young girl called from the hallway

"Testarossa-san?"

She turned her blue eyes around the area, looking for her objective. _"Where the heck did she go?"_ she thought as she walked up to the music room. _"In here maybe?"_

The door was opened slowly and curious eyes peered into the room. The girl walked several feet inside before doing a thorough scan of the area with her search, eventually catching the end of some blonde hair.

"Testarossa-san...?" The brunette girl walked over to her target's location and stopped in her tracks when she saw the girl sleeping across several chairs.

For some reason she couldn't stop looking at the person sleeping quietly in this abandoned room. Her heart started to beat rapidly as her mind went blank. Not quite understanding the situation herself, she slowly leaned closer and closer till she pressed her lips against the sleeping girl's own and lightly pulled back after several moments.

"...!" She gasped lightly when her senses came back to her. Her eyes were wide in horror at the realization of what she had just done. She started to slowly back away towards the door when someone else opened it.

"Ah, here you are!" the voice called out. "Testarossa-san, Sakamoto-sensei was looking for you. He said he wanted to talk to you about this afternoon's print outs."

The blonde girl opened her eyes slowly and proceeded to sit up, brushing her hair lightly out of the way in the process.

"Thanks," she responded. "I'll see to it." She walked past the frightened blue-eyed girl and towards the messenger at the door.

The stunned girl could do nothing but follow as the blonde went down the stairs to a quiet section before stopping.

"So how was it?" The blonde asked without turning around.

"Eh?" The brown-haired girl paused.

"My lips...did you like them?" The red eyes sharpened.

The blue-eyed girl broke down and dropped to her knees, holding her face between her hands. "I'm sorry!" she pleaded.

"That isnt what I asked you."

"I'll do anything you want, just please forgive me for that!" she tried again. "My head went completely blank when I saw your face...and I just couldn't help myself, so I..."

"Rise." the blonde commanded.

The other girl slowly got up to her feet, shaking visibly out of fear of what might happen to her.

"I will not forgive someone who touched my lips without my permission." Her eyes flared. "And I will severely punish those who do such a thing..." She moved in closer.

"I'm so sorry!" the other girl took a step back and bowed her head.

"What's your name?" the blonde crossed her arms as an amused grin tugged on her lips.

"S...Sayers, Lena" the blue-eyed girl responded slowly "From class 2-A."

"A second year..." the blonde licked her lips.

"I am Alicia, Testarossa Alicia...your new Master."

**~~ Interlude Out ~~**

"Alright, lunch time is over!" Teana stood up and packed her bento as the bell rang. "Everyone return to your classrooms."

All of us slowly started to mimic her actions, thanking each other for the pieces shared and saying farewell.

"Fate," Yuuno called over to me when everyone else was preoccupied.

"What is it?" I blinked, wondering what he could want that he couldn't say in front of the others.

"I need to talk to you."

"Ok..." I nodded, still not understanding the situation.

"Meet me behind the gym storage area after school..." He paused.

"Its important." His eyes told me he was serious.

"Alright" I nodded. "I'll meet you then, ok?"

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha's voice interrupted us. "Let's go or we'll be late!"

"Catch you later!" I waved over to him as he waved us off with his left hand and clutched something in his pocket with his right.

"What was that about?" Nanoha asked as we headed back to the classroom.

"He wanted to talk to me about something later on. He said it was important," I responded, not noticing the smile creeping up her face.

"Don't tell me..." she paused, making me look at her with a questioning expression.

"... He's going to propose to you!" she blurted out.

"We're already going out, Nanoha!" I shot down her idea "That would be pointless."

"No!" she stopped in front of me "Not that! The next step!"

"Quit joking around, Nanoha" I held my head as a small headache started to emerge. "We haven't even graduated yet." I sighed.

"Besides, mom would kill me if I got engaged before graduation..."

"Who says we have to be graduated for that time?" She countered, a little annoyed that I don't believe a word she's saying. "Where are you meeting him?" she demanded.

"Behind the gym after school, ok?" I sighed and gave in to her delusions.

"Alright I'll see you then~" she smirked and ran ahead to the classroom.

"That girl..." I sighed, then found myself smirking a little bit at her.

**~xX*Xx~**

"Glad that's over," I sighed as I finished packing up my bag. "I guess I better get going, I don't want to keep him waiting.."

I took a deep breath before heading out of the classroom and towards the shoe lockers.

"Ah, there you are!" Yuuno's voice called as I approached the gym.

"Hey!" I waved over and smiled. "What did you want to talk about?"

"... The truth is..."

**~~ Interlude 10-2 ~~**

"Hmm Nanoha-san?" Chrono called from behind the girl "You alone? Where's Fate?"

"Ah, Fate-chan is having a 'secret' meeting with Yuuno-san by the gym." She grinned. "I think he's going to go the next step with her!"

She jabbed him in the stomach. "I'm going to meet her in a little bit."

"I see," the boy mused a little. "I'll go wait for her then. I have some things that she asked me to give her yesterday but I wasn't able to."

He held out a notebook that had Fate's name on the side.

"Alright," the brunette smiled, before looking on either side of the boy. "Where is you-know-who?" she smirked.

"Amy is doing her club activities right now," He blushed. "I'm going to meet her after I hand this over to Fate."

"I see, I see~" she patted him on the shoulder. "Dont be a wolf and eat her up now ok~?"

"Yes, Mother" He played along as the two of them laughed.

**~~ Interlude Out ~~**

"Eh?" I stepped back, unsure if I heard what was said correctly.

"I'll say it again...Fate Testarossa...Will you marry me?" He presented the small box to me again that housed a silver ring with a diamond atop it.

The tight grip surprise had over me still hadn't let go. I know my body processed those words right...but a part of me couldn't believe those words were actually being said. I opened my mouth to try to say something, anything, but nothing... not even air escaped.

"I'm sorry its rather sudden," He pulled back a little bit, giving me a little more room to breathe. "But I am going to be moving out soon." He looked down at the right. "I wont be able to stay till we graduate, so I figured this would be the best time to do it."

I didn't even hear a word he said. My mind was too busy concentrating on what he was holding and what it meant. After several years, he's finally popped the question. I should be incredibly happy - Well in all honesty, I am...but why? What is keeping me from just saying "yes"?

"Fate," his voice snapped me back to reality.

"I-I'm sorry." I took a step back "It's...it's just so sudden and..."

I was at a complete loss for words "We haven't even graduated yet..." I tried to put some effort into my words, but my body was shaking so much it wasn't really convincing.

"Fate..." He repeated

"I'm sorry..." I said more firmly. "It's just so soon...I mean I am incredibly happy and all but..." I looked down at my hands for a moment. "... I just cant right now."

"Why...?" He lowered his face till his bangs covered his eyes.

"Eh?" I looked up at him. "Ah!" I yelped out as I felt my back slam against the building.

"Y-Yuuno?" my eyes going wide

"Why...?" he repeated, before looking me in the eyes. "Why won't you, Fate?" He pinned me to the wall by putting his hands on either side of my shoulders.

"What's happened to you?" I asked instinctively and out of fear. These cold green eyes were completely unknown to me. It was almost as if I was talking to someone else.

"I've waited so long for this! Why won't you accept it?"

He ignored my question and slammed his hand against the building, next to my left ear, causing me to shudder violently.

"I..I..."

"Its Nanoha, isn't it?" His eye narrowed as he glared at me.

"W-wha-what are you talking about?" I honestly didn't know.

"You two have been getting very close the past few weeks," he sneered,

"Y-Yuuno...you're scaring me..." I tried to escape normally but he grabbed my wrist and twisted my arm behind me, shoving my face against the building. "Ow!"

"**You're not leaving here till I'm finished with you!**" He shouted at me.

At this point fear was overtaking all my thoughts, reasons, and whatever else. That, and the pain he didn't realize he was putting on my arm made things even more difficult.

"Yuuno! This isn't funny!" I yelled back at him. "Let me go!"

"Not till I'm finished." He said in a normal tone, forcing my body to lock.

I felt his free hand slowly glide its way around to my front and reach for my ribbon. After a sharp yank and a bit of pain from the sudden grab, he managed to rip it off along with the first two buttons.

"You have no idea how long I've waited, Fate..." He continued to say as he worked on ripping off the rest of them, before grabbing my breast harshly over the bra

At that point my control returned to me for a split second. In that time I breathed as deep as I could.

"SOMEONE HELP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

The next thing I know, my arm was released, the pressure pinning me to the wall was gone, and a dull thud accompanying a grunt reached my ears. I turned around and quickly covered myself up with my tattered shirt.

"I think she meant for you to let go." A voice called out.

"Chrono!" I called out once I recognized the voice.

"Stay out of this!" Yuuno barked "This is a couple's issue."

"I don't think you two are a couple anymore." He glared back at the blond on the ground.

"Stay out of this!" Yuuno got up quickly and lunged forward, swinging his arm straight for the other's head.

Chrono stepped forward and used his forearm to block the swing before using his other arm to land a strike straight into Yuuno's stomach. The blond doubled over and dropped to his knee.

"Dont ever go near my sister again!" He declared before turning and walking over to me.

"You ok?" He asked as he took his outer jacket off and put it around my shoulders.

"Y-yeah..." I said, despite my still-quivering body.

"I'll get you for this, Chrono..." Yuuno said behind us. "I'll get you for this..."

We ignored him and started heading back towards the main building.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" I tried to strike up a conversation in order to help subside the shaking.

"I watched Nanoha do it to you a couple times before during some of her 'accidental' maneuvers," He chuckled.

"I figured I would try it out myself. I didn't really think it would work out that well though."

"Nanoha..." I repeated. "Nanoha is supposed to meet me..." I stated.

"Don't worry about it," He pointed towards my phone and opened it when I handed it over. "I'll send her a message that you are going home ahead, that way she won't worry alright?"

"Thank you..." I whispered once I calmed down a little. "Thanks a lot..."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Will you be ok?" Chrono asked as he saw me into the house.

"Yeah..." I responded lightly. "I'll be fine."

"Want me to come by later on and check on you?" His eyes told me that he was genuinely worried about me, a fact that made me smile a little.

"Dont worry, I'll be fine." I honestly told him. "Mom and Linith aren't here, but if anything goes wrong I still have Arf and Onee-chan to call, ok?"

He didn't seem convinced at all, more like he was going to play along with me just so I wouldn't feel like I was being a burden to him.

"Ok," He nodded. "I'll be coming to pick you up tomorrow for school."

He stated this whilst eying me sternly.

"I don't want a repeat incident of what happened today, especially when you are home alone now."

"Thanks Chrono." I gave him a hug after I handed his jacket back to him. "I'm glad you came to help me"

"You should thank Nanoha," He called over his shoulder as he opened the door. "She was the one who told me where to find you."

He turned his head back over to me and smiled before stepping out. "See you tomorrow, Fate"

"Take care." I waved back before heading to the door after him and locking the deadbolt.

Somehow, my body became so tired. It was as if the deadbolt itself drained all my energy. I slowly trudged my way upstairs to my bedroom and landed on my bed.

* * *

_A/N Well then...seems that things are going towards an interesting path fu fu fu~ I wonder if I should have had Yuuno do some more..."fan service" things to her, but I probably would be murdered by all the Fate fans lolz. Fine fine...since I am being nice I'll give you a little..._

**~~ Bonus ~~**

Chrono walked quietly down the road on his way home, taking the usual route. He didn't quite pay attention to his general surroundings as he reflected on what happened earlier that day.

" **I cant believe that guy!"** he told himself _"After dating for so long he was actually attacking her. I best see her off in the morning or else he might try something funny..."_

He ended up walking down an alley before a slight noise behind him snapped him back to his senses. He turned around and saw a shadow following him.

"Come on out. I know you're there, Yuuno." He called

Said person stepped from the shadows, a bat in his hand.

"So what? Resorting to cheap tactics?" the dark-haired boy snorted.

"I told you, I'll get you for this!" the blond sneered and charged, swinging his weapon over his right shoulder.

Chrono dodged to the left and parried the bat before trying to swing around and aim for the blond's head. Yuuno ducked in time and swung the bat in a circular arc, managing to catch the other boy on the side.

"Urgh!" Chrono grunted. The strike may have been weak since it was done at close range, but it still had enough power to deal a little bit of blunt damage. He dropped his right arm and trapped the bat between his body and punched the blond in the face with his left.

"Guh!" Yuuno spat out and released the bat. He tried to regain his footing and swung wildly with his left arm, hoping to catch the other boy off-guard while he tried to reposition.

The tactic worked as Chrono forced himself to move back to avoid the swing before lunging forward again. That action was just enough to catch the blond before he could fully set himself as the two of them ended up getting into a grappling match. Chrono got the upper hand and started punching down on the boy beneath him while all Yuuno could do was block with his right arm, as his left searched for something on the ground that could help. The free hand manged to get a hold of an object and was quickly thrust into his opponent's side

"Ack...!" the blue-eyed boy flew off his opponent and rolled.

Yuuno took this opportunity to roll to his feet and raise the weapon over his head.

…

….

…..

And that was the last thing Chrono ever saw.

**~~ Season 1 End ~~**

**

* * *

**

_A/N Well...things just got a little more complicated ne? The green link is below as always. Hope you guys liked this fun little installment since I for one enjoyed writing it~ Depending on how things go, Season 2 Chapter 1 should be released around March 2012. What? Thats how anime does it! They give you a series then wait like 2 years before they give you the next one XD ***ahem*** anyway~ See you then~!_


	12. Season 2 Chapter 1

_A/N Hello from the Future! LOL yesh its 2012 already and I am writing this like I said I would then! No I wont be mean and wait 2 years to continue this, but it did take a little longer than I expected since RL has just been pounding on me recently. Thanks very much for your patience and now without further adeu, the next chapter~_

**Season 2 Chapter 1**

* * *

"Its finally over" I stretched out after closing the last study manual. I had just started this job several months ago so I was still a rookie compared to everyone else. I supposed they thought of me as some kind of prodigy otherwise they wouldn't have given my command of my own unit.

"Aruji" A woman with long pink hair came up to me "I have a letter for you..."

"Oh? Who is it from?" I leaned back in my seat and massaged my eyes a little bit, trying to relieve some of the strain from staring too closely a the books.

"It is from Precia Testarossa." her eyes narrowed as she looked at the letter

I nearly fell out of my seat at the mention of the name. I stabilized myself momentarily before standing up and briskly walking over and taking the letter.

"Thank you, Signum" I nodded as I got the envelope "Are you sure its from her?" I asked looking at the handwriting in the back.

"It is sealed with the mark of the Thunderbird, the Testarossa family crest. There is no mistaking it."

I spun the letter around and sure enough, the envelope was sealed in wax with the emblem planted on it. I thought this was some kind of joke...but what would one of the most revered INTERPOL agents want with a brand new unit like ours?

"I hope this isn't some kind of joke" I spoke aloud, still not quite believing this.

"I doubt it highly" Signum responded "From what I gather Precia Testarossa is an intelligent and calculating person. She would not have sent something like this as a joke."

Alright, I had to admit that she had a point. However the fact remained unanswered as to what a high class agent wanted with a new unit like ours. I guess the only way to find out was to read the letter. I dont know why I was a little nervous, but it took me several moments to break the seal and take out its contents.

"Signum" I stated sternly "Gather the team. The Wolkenritter have been given a special assignment." I put the letter in my pocket "We leave in the morning"

"Hai."

**~xX*Xx~**

"So, what's this about?" a short girl with pigtails spoke to me after we all gathered in our seats inside one of the private sectors of the bullet train

"As you all have probably heard by now" I began once I got the team's attention "The son of Lindy Harlaown, Captain of the central region's National Police Agency (NPA) was murdered several days ago." I looked at everyone to make sure they understood the situation "Now, I have received a direct order from INTERPOL to investigate this matter."

"Why us?" a man well-built man spoke out from the group "We're a brand new team, it took us forever to finally be in the same unit."

"I asked the same question Zafirra" I responded "However it seems that we were hand picked by Precia Testarossa to handle this issue."

"So some famous big-shot picked us huh?" the small girl spoke again

"That's correct, Vita" I nodded to her "We have been promised the full cooperation of the local police force. They respected Lindy Harlaown, so they are going to help us in any way they can."

"Has she been informed of her son's death?" Signum asked the next question.

"It seems she has been, sadly." I looked back down at the letter "However shes not coming back due to the importance of her duties. This is also a reason as to why we were picked. She and Precia Testarossa are working on another case and have no time to spare for this investigation." I looked our once more "So its up to us now."

"Umm..." a blond haired woman spoke from my right "How are we going to go through with this?"

"Hmm.." I re-read the contents of the letter "I honestly don't know yet, Shamal" I looked at her "The letter is very vague so we wont know much of anything till we get to the local police station.

**~xX*Xx~**

"Can I help you?" the receptionist at the local police station looked up from his desk.

"Yes, I am Special Agent Yagami Hayate." I presented my INTERPOL ID card "I was sent here for case number NCC-1701"

His eyes widened a little bit at the connection between the ID card and the case file. He stood up immediately and ran over to the back room, not even bothering to tell us to "wait a moment". He came back about a minute later with an older man. He seemed rather experienced and well mannered.

"Greetings" he spoke up "I am Gil Graham, chief of police." he extended his hand to me and I took it "We have been expecting you. Please, this way" he lead us into his office.

The room itself looked like a typical police chief's room with stacks of papers everywhere and books from previous cases all piled up on the shelf. A small conference table was located away from his desk with a rather expensive looking tea set atop of it.

"Is this your team?" he spoke to me as we all sat down

I nodded in response and introduced everyone to him

"You look so young to be the leader of this group" his eyes were amazed "But you were recommended by Precia Testarossa and Lindy Harlaown so I guess you are top notch"

"I guess this is a test for us" I smiled wryly, not sure why everyone expects so much of us. "Sir, with your permission I would like to know the details of this case." I started. Everyone else around me looked serious.

"I see. Yes, you are here for that after all." he stood up and walked over to the window to look outside. "As you all know, Chrono Harlaown was murdered several days ago." he began "This case is rather...personal to me since I have a close connection to them." he turned around and began walking back to his seat "Clyde Harlaown was one of my best friends. We helped each other out in many occasions, and I became the best man at his wedding." he chucked to himself a little "You can say I am a godfather to their son." His face saddened "Its too bad that Lindy had to lose her husband...and now her son."

"I'm sorry to hear that..." I didn't know what to say, but now I know why we had the full cooperation of the police force. "I wont want to interfere or make it seem like I am stealing this case from you, sir." I stood up "I would instead like to work alongside the police and figure out this incident."

He nodded in approval.

"However, I would like to ask one thing" my expression became serious "Why is it that a INTERPOL unit was assigned to this task?" I paused "Shouldn't the local police be able to handle this case without us?"

Almost as if the chief was expecting the question, he walked over to his desk and produced a letter.

"I received this from Lindy Harlaown...asking that I allow a new unit to do the investigation." He placed it on the table in front of us "She believes that this incident is related to the case that she is working on. That they killed her son in an attempt to buy them time or try to distract her from what they have learned." he stared down at the letter again "That possibility alone makes this an INTERPOL case. Also, she wants to at least make sure that this tragedy doesn't happen to anyone else involved."

"Who else is working with her on this?" I took out my notes and began writing down important factors

"There are several other personnel, but the only other main person working on this is Precia Testarossa." he responded "Precia has a daughter attending the same school that Chrono did."

"So we're basically babysitting" Vita finally spoke up

"No, I don't think so" Signum responded "I think what the chief is saying is that if we watch her, we might get clues as to who did this. If Lindy Harlaown's suspicion is true, then this is our best bet."

"The question is, how do we go about doing this?" Shamal voiced next. "We cant just suspiciously walk around following a girl 24/7. It would take far too much energy and manpower to do that. Also what are we going to do at school? We cant possibly be roaming around there."

"I've already taken care of that" Graham answered "I have your papers here for work applications" he walked over and placed a small manila envelope on the desk "Everything you need is in there"

We all looked at him rather oddly

"I spoke to the headmaster of the school where Chrono attended." he continued "He has given me his approval to have you work as part of the crew there" he looked at all of us "However I don't think all of you will be able to do it."

I caught his meaning but Vita was a little lost.

"I understand, Sir." I responded "I would like to split my team anyway." I looked at them "Signum, Shamal."

"Hai"

"I would like you both to enter the school as temporary instructors. I will enter as a transfer student and try to be assigned in Testarossa's class." I looked over at the other two "Vita, Zafirra."

"Hai" the two straightened up

"I'd like you two to review all details of this case with the local detectives. See if there is anything you can find out that may support Lindy Harlaown's theory" I waited till they both acknowledged "I want to make sure we have all our bases covered before we move on. I would rather be wrong, than have other people get killed."

"Is that how you would like to start?" Graham looked at me with a rather amused look "If so, then I'll talk to the headmaster right away."

"Yes, Sir." I nodded. "I would like to start out small and find out everything we can before we expand our boundaries." I looked at my team and nodded "I would rather not overlook anything...especially if people are counting on us."

"Well said, Agent Yagami." He extended his hand. "I look forward to working with you on this case."

"Thank you, Sir." I shook it "And you as well."

**~xX*Xx~**

"How reliable are our sources from the police?" Signum asked after we left the station and headed towards the apartment we would be staying at.

"He didn't look like he was lying..." I stated "However that fact that the police know INTERPOL is here might have made things a little more difficult for us."

"Why is that?" Vita asked as she flagged down a couple taxis

"I don't want to point fingers, but if the criminal happens to be a local official or an officer...we either may be too late to catch them or they will be more cautious in their actions.

"What makes you think they might be one of the police?" Shamal asked

"The fact that this has become an INTERPOL case means that there was at least some secrecy involved. So my theory is that they managed to ID her and find out all about her."

"And one of the easiest ways to do that would be from the police archives" Signum finished

"So what are you suggesting we do?" Zafirra opened the door for the rest of us

"For now, we play along while doing our own investigation. I want the complete facts first and I want to make sure of our allies." I nodded to the others "We'll meet back at the apartment."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Ok were you able to get the case files?" I glanced over to Shamal once we all settled in to our own rooms and gathered into mine.

"Yes" she nodded and laid out the folders on the table "I have all the tidbits of information they were able to gather as well as those who are currently working on the case." she pulled out the list of names "Where should we start?"

"Lets start with what we know..." I picked up a case file and opened it. The others followed suit. "Alright we know the victim's name is Chrono Harlaown, son of Clyde Harlaown (deceased) and Lindy Harlaown." I flipped the page "He was found inside a dumpster during the weekly trash pick up in the downtown district."

"The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the skull" Shamal continued "there were several bruises around his body indicating that whoever killed him managed to get several hits in before the finishing blow."

"According to the autopsy" Zafirra picked up "the time of death was somewhere around 1630L" he flipped the page "There were no witnesses at all and none of the locals even recall hearing anything suspicious around the area."

"The lead investigator on the case" Vita continued "is Leti Lowran." she placed a picture down on the table "A old friend of Lindy Harlaown since high school. Apparently she volunteered to take on the case and even forced Chief Graham to give her the position."

"Hmm" I began thinking "so almost everyone in this case knows or is related somehow to Lindy Harlaown." I leaned back "Which means that any of them would be in the position to do this. I fear that we may be putting ourselves in jeopardy as well."

"What do you mean?" Signum asked as she stood up and went to prepare some drinks

"I mean, if Lindy Harlaown's suspicions are correct, and someone does know about her wearabouts and killed her son to try to thwart their efforts, then news that a team has been sent to investigate must have reached them by now."

"What are the chances of that?" Vita put her papers down and began clearing the table

"If they are related to the police force in any way then they already know about us. Thank you" I nodded to Signum "However, if they aren't, then we might have a chance. We should be careful and operate normally with the police while investigating every single one of them to make sure they are trustworthy." I took a sip "Vita, Zafirra, I am counting on you two for this one."

"Hai!"

"All right, on to the next topic" I leaned forward and looked down at all the reports "What do we know of the Testarossa daughter?" I picked up one of the delicious looking cookies "Do we even know what she looks like?"

"Unfortunately, no" Shamal answered after taking a sip of her drink "There is nothing in the reports whatsoever about her other than her relationship with the victim."

I nodded for her to continue

"It seems that they are childhood friends. Other than that, there's nothing."

"Ok so that will be our job then." I looked at Signum and Shamal "We will need to find out what we can about this girl and see guarding her. I know it seems like babysitting" I spared a quick glance at Vita "But she might be our best bet at finding out who the culprit is."

A knock came at the door. All of us looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement. No one aside from the police chief should know that we were here, so we all ended up taking defensive positions around the door.

"Who is it?" I called out

"Package delivery for Yagami Hayate" the voice responded

I braced my foot about 24inches from the door, that way if he tried to force his way in, he'd stumble enough for every else to respond to the situation. Taking a deep breath I slowly opened the door.

"Yes?"

"Ah, sign here please" the mail clerk pointed. "Thank you very much" he bowed after we exchanged items "have a nice day"

"I wonder what it is" I brought the item in question and placed it on the table. "Think its a bomb?"

"I dont hear anything ticking" Vita responded

"None of you sent anything ahead of time did you?" Zafirra asked

Everyone else shook their heads

"Well, only one way to find out now" I gripped the tape sealing the opening and pulled.

**~The Next Day~**

"Welcome" a girl with orange hair greeted me from her desk which had piles of paper on either side "I am the Student Council President, Lanster Teana." She rose

"Yagami Hayate" I responded "I just transferred here from overseas." I bowed slightly

"Please have a seat" she offered as she sat down herself "according to this here you have been assigned to class 3-A." she read the paper, her eyes examining the rest of the document. "Your instructor should be here soon" she added after placing it down "I'm sorry that you had to arrive at a rather bad time. I'll be honest with you, this school has had an incident regarding one of its students and the instructors as well as the student council are trying to quell rumors." She leaned back on her seat and massaged her temples lightly "There will be a lot of them flying around and I would rather have you know facts, than what those rumors could be." The girl leaned forward and stared me in the eyes "One of our students was involved in an incident and killed" she stated blatantly "The police don't know who did it or why, but we are trying to prevent any further fires from starting. I hope this doesn't impede upon your time here, but you must understand the situation we are in right now."

"I understand" I nodded "I wont let an incident like this bother me during my stay here. I hope to graduate with everyone else" I smiled

"Thank you very much" she smiled in return "Come in" she called as a knock came from the door "Ah Sensei" she stood and I followed suit "This is the new transfer student that is going into your class."

"Yagami Hayate" I bowed

"Gracia Carim" the woman responded "Welcome"

"Homeroom will be starting soon" the orange-haired girl stood up "we should all head on back."

"Hai" I nodded and followed my homeroom teacher out the door.

We walked down the hall in silence for a moment before finally stopping at the door for the classroom.

"Here we are" she stated "I'll just have you walk in with me if that's ok"

"That is perfectly fine, Sensei" I responded as she opened the door and began yelling to get the class in order. "_This is going to be interesting..._" I thought to myself as I prepared to go through high school once again.

A few moments of chaos ensued as students were running back to their desks, putting away magazines, straightening out their bags, and whatever else they needed to do. Soon, all eyes were set forward as I stood next to the instructor

"This is Yagami Hayate." Carim looked at me "Shes a transfer student from overseas, she came here from Germany upon her father's request." she turned back to the class "I hope you all get along well."

"Yagami Hayate" I bowed to them "its nice to meet you all."

"Please have a seat behind Suzumiya-san" she pointed "All right everyone, lets start homeroom."

**~xX*Xx~**

"So, how was school?" Vita asked from the couch "You look rather beat" she laughed lightly

"Tadaima~" I called tiredly from the entrance

"Welcome back" Shamal greeted me "What happened? You look really worn out!" she walked over and offered me a glass of water

"Thanks" I accepted as I followed her to the living room where everyone else were sitting around reading reports "You know the ordeal...everyone asking me to join clubs, asking questions about my last school, its all very tiring really"

"Sounds like work" Signum added

"No, this is much more rowdy than work." I sighed and rested my head a little "So we get anything new?"

"Our applications at the school were accepted" the pink haired woman continued "Shamal will be taking over as the school nurse and I will be instructing physical training." she placed the paper down in front of me "We should be starting tomorrow."

"Understood" I sat up and stretched my arms over my head "I found our target." I pulled out some polaroid pictures "This is Fate Testarossa" the others gathered around me "She is in my class and the daughter of Precia Testarossa."

"So shes the one we are babysitting huh?" Vita didn't look too impressed

"Yes" I nodded "I didn't get the chance to talk to her, but it seems that shes doing rather well despite all this." I leaned back "Then again, the entire school really got shook up over this incident. Even the student council is having problems controlling rumors"

"How should we proceed?" Zafirra spoke up "Even if you do become friends with this girl, your actions will still be limited." he looked at Signum, Shamal, then back to me "Without actually telling her that we are using her as bait and protecting her at the same time, we are going to raise suspicion quickly"

"What should we do?" I looked around the room "If we tell her the truth, she might act abnormally and tip off whoever is after her" I sighed "but then again, if we don't tell and the culprit happens to be someone who's infiltrated the local police, we may be too late to help her when the time comes..." I massaged my head. "I dont know what to do" I confessed "We don't have enough manpower and we aren't 100% sure of who our allies are"

"I suggest we remain as we are" Signum responded "Doing anything irrational right now would only make our position worse and may even blow our cover. I hate to do this, but that girl is our best chance at solving this issue."

"So she will be the sacrifice huh?" I didn't like the notion whatsoever but we were limited on options while we had so many obstacles to go over.

"If Vita and Zafirra can keep the local police distracted until we know the culprit isn't one of them, then she wont have to be" the pink haired woman responded. "We'll just have to do our best observing her during school and setting up security shifts in the evenings."

"Who is on shift tonight then?"

"I am" Signum spoke up "I will be swapping with Vita later on, then Shamal afterwards." she picked up a piece of paper "I have the address for the Testarossa residence so I will be heading out soon."

"I'm going with you" I responded "I want to have eyes on at least so it will be easier to make command decisions should the time come." I looked at the others "We'll establish contact every 2 hours alright?" I paused for objections "Ok lets go."

**~~ Interlude 11-1 ~~**

"Ah that felt good..." Fate sighed as she stepped out of the shower her hair being wiped carefully _"Its been a while since I actually fell asleep there hehe~" _she thought to herself "_Usually Linith would come and knock on the door to make sure I didn't drown on anything."_

She stepped out into the hall wrapped in a bath towel and proceeded to enter her room. She took a little bit of time dressing herself as she thought about what she would do for dinner that night. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled wryly, asking her reflection what she should go grab from the convenience store down the street when a power outage struck.

"...!" she gasped and finished dressing quickly. She went to the kitchen and began looking for a flashlight. "Man..." she sighed "I wonder if I blew the breaker again" she managed to get herself some form of lighting right before a loud crash that sounded like glass shattering came from the front door. "What the-?"

**~~ Interlude Out ~~**

"Aruji" Signum shook me from my nap "the lights just cut" her words stirred me awake quickly "I think something's happened"

"Is it just a power outage?" I asked shaking the rest of the sleepiness away from my head

"No" she stated "the other houses on this block still have power and I doubt Precia Testarossa would be late on her power bills."

"Then what could-"

The sound of several things breaking cut me off.

"Signum!" I shouted at her while trying to exit the vehicle and loading my pistol.

"This is Unit: Blackbird, we have a situation, requesting backup..." she began calling for the others while I stormed towards the house. "Wait! Aruji...!"

I raced as fast as I could towards the front door. The first thing I noticed was that the glass was broken so I mentally braced myself as I opened the door and walked in, weapon in front of me at the ready. I began to take slow shallow steps as to not make any kind of noise. I walked in several feet before I noticed movement.

"Freeze! Po-gaaah!" I never managed to finish my sentence as something hard connected with my stomach. My right hand lowered from the impact but I still managed to pull the trigger on accident. I don't know if it hit the person who attacked me or not, but that was the least of my concerns at the moment.

I rolled out of the way when I landed to avoid what seemed like a downward strike from what appeared to be a sword or something. I tried to point my gun again only to find it knocked out of my hand and my wrist burning in pain from the impact.

"Haaaaaaaaaa!" my attacker's voice pierced the darkness as I saw them raise the weapon over their heads, the moonlight reflecting on the blade.

"FREEZE!" Signum's voice thundered through the room, a blinding flashlight in her hand "Move and you will be shot!" she roared as she stepped closer.

I hoped that the attacker would believe her words since I for one knew that Signum hated using guns, she preferred using her sword during operations. Nonetheless, it stopped my attacker from finishing me off for now. I looked back up onto the person standing over me and my eyes widened.

"Testarossa-san?" I was indeed surprised "What are you doing here?" the question came out of habit.

"Yagami-san?" She was shocked as well "This is my home! What are _you_ doing here?" she lowered her weapon and pointed it at my throat "Why did you break into my house?" her eyes became stern

"Drop your weapon" Signum stated as she approached us "Testarossa, drop your weapon" she repeated.

"Testarossa-san" I moved my hand slowly into my pocket and pulled out my ID card "I am Agent Yagami Hayate" I raised it closer to her "I work for INTERPOL."

* * *

_A/N Yikes! I wonder...is the person who broke the glass still inside the house? How will Hayate handle the situation now that their cover is blown? Where the heck are all the answers from the first season? XD Yeah I know...I have a loooooot of stuff to answer for you guys. Once again I am sorry for making you guys wait so long for this one, as I said above RL has been busy for me and whatever little time I have to write ends up only being a sentence or two since its that's short x.x Well the green link is below once again, I hope you all still enjoy the story~ orz_


	13. Season 2 Chapter 2

_A/N: Ugh the holidays are finally over. Yes, I know they've been over for like a month now, but I still have after effects from all that's happened. I wish I could say it was all drinking but I hardly do so. *ahem* Anyway~ lets start up again!_

* * *

**Season 2 Chapter 2**

"Nanoha" Precia's voice snapped me to attention, my senses now full awake if they weren't before "It's time for you to learn something valuable." she pulled out a pistol, an action that made my body lock. "Your fear of weapons has lessened a little bit, so I believe its time to start this next lesson."

My fear dispelled only somewhat and I looked at her rather confused when she placed the gun in my hands. "I...dont understand" I looked at her in bewilderment. "Are you going to teach me how to shoot?"

"Ha ha ha" she laughed lightly "Anyone can shoot, Nanoha." she smiled "However, it takes skill to hit your target. On the flip side it only takes basic knowledge to avoid being hit by it."

Her words confused me even more. I knew little about guns, but I did know that they are fast, dangerous, and have a very far range so I wasn't quite sure what to make of her words. "I don't understand" I repeated

"Guns, unlike other weapons-say knives or swords-have a very interesting weakness." she pointed it at herself "shoot me" she commanded

"WHAT?" I couldn't believe what she just said

"Shoot me" she repeated "Dont worry its empty" she added on when I still hesitated

"O..ok..." I held it with both hands and raised it to her chest before closing my eyes and slowly squeezed the trigger.

***BANG***

The sound of the weapon going off echoed in the yard, completely catching me off guard. I literally jumped up a foot or so. Thoughts started running through my head somewhere along the lines of "Oh my god I just killed her!" "I thought it was empty!" "What have I done?" I slowly opened my eyes and saw her standing in front of me as if nothing happened.

"The weakness is" she continued talking normally "Is that they always shoot in a straight line"

My eyes were still shaking over the fact that the gun was loaded before I looked down towards the weapon. She had used her index finger and pushed the barrel to her left right before I fired, making me miss her completely and hitting the tree at the edge of the yard instead.

"Thank God" I sighed in relief before my knees gave out and I feel to the ground "I thought you said it was empty!" I looked up at her, half in worry, half in anger that she lied to me.

"You wouldn't have fired had you known it was loaded"

"Of course not!" I responded, trying to stand back up "That was scary!"

"That's why you need to learn what it can do, if you wish to not get hit by it." She smiled with a aura of victory that I found rather annoying at the current moment.

"Are you saying I can dodge bullets?" I calmed down finally and prepared to stand back up

"When you're ready" she pulled out another gun and pointed it at my forehead "you wont have to." She pulled the trigger.

"Uuuuuuwaaaaaaaaah!" I screamed as I awoke from my dream, my body sweaty and my heart racing. I looked over at the clock and realized that the alarm was going to go off in 2 minutes. I decided to take that time to lie back down and let my body recover while contemplating hitting the snooze button several times.

**~xX*Xx~**

"Good morning, Nanoha" my girlfriend greeted me at the door "Sorry if I am disturbing you, I wanted to spend more time so I came over earlier." she smiled

"Good morning, Alicia" I waved and let her in "Breakfast is ready" I put the plates out along with the dishes

"Ah" she looked a little disappointed "I came over early since I wanted to cook this morning" she pouted

"Awww" I patted her head like a little kid "I'll let you cook tomorrow ok?" I laughed at her childish reaction to that before sitting down "itadakimasu~"

"How are things going at school?" She asked me while we were busy munching away

"Things are going fine" I nodded "Fate-chan seems to be taking things rather well" I lied, not wanting to worry the older sister. I don't quite know what relationship they have since they have been separated for so long, but they are still sisters so she might be worried. "she seems to be acting as normal"

"I see" she responded in a vague manner. I wasn't quite sure if she was saying that because she didn't care or if she said it understanding what I was trying to do.

"Anyway!" I changed the topic before things got awkward "I had a strange dream...borderline nightmare last night"

"Oh?" she looked up from her dish, interested. "What happened?"

"It was about your mother" I confessed with a sigh "It was another one of her training sessions." I shook my head "I cant believe I am having flashbacks of all that. What?" I turned my attention to my girlfriend and gave her an evil look. Despite all that, she kept laughing and commenting about how it must have been a crazy experience for me to have dreams about all of it. In the end, I guess it was funny.

**~xX*Xx~**

"I'll see you at work ok?" I waved to Alicia as we separated at the last corner before the school gate. I am surprised she offered to walk me to my school everyday when hers was in the complete opposite direction. Speaking of her school...I haven't seen Suzuka-nee in a while. I wondered how she was doing, but thinking of the other girl with her made me realize that she was probably ok. It was still a little hard seeing her after all that time, but I am glad that we had both grown up and moved on...at least I hope so.

I continued moving along towards the gate when a odd sight caught my eye. I stopped for a moment and saw what appeared to be Fate-chan walking next to the new transfer student. They appeared to be chatting about something important as both their expressions seemed serious. I wanted to go up and talk to them but somehow the atmosphere seemed a little...off. She had been acting a little weird the past few days and I just couldn't leave it well alone, so I did what any other concerned friend would do. Went against the atmosphere and walked up to them.

"Good morning, Fate-chan" I said with a wave. "Good morning too...umm" I looked at the girl from yesterday.

"Good morning, Nanoha" Fate greeted

"Yagami Hayate" the other girl greeted "Nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too" I responded before heading to the blond's other side "So are you showing her around, Fate-chan?"

"Y-yeah" she began to get a little nervous "Yagami-san is still new and I figured I would help her out as the class president, that's all"

"That's right" Yagami-san responded "Testarossa-san has been a very big help to me"

"I see" I smiled, dropping the situation "If you have any questions while Fate-chan isn't around please feel free to ask me" I smiled at the transfer student.

"Thank you very much" she responded.

"Fate-chan..." I looked my friend "I want to talk to you at lunch...meet me on the roof ok?"

"What for?" She tilted her head

"Just meet me there" I said sternly before turning around and heading to the classroom _"She cant keep doing this..."_ I thought to myself "_I am so sorry, Fate-chan...you__ will break if things go on like this"_ I sighed as I forced down my emotions and walked into the shoe locker area.

**~xX*Xx~**

The lunch bell had finally rang and I slowly stood up and began heading to the roof. I decided to take a little detour to avoid reaching the roof before Fate did. I had to stop and think for a moment about what my course of action was going to be. This is a trying time for her and saying the wrong things are just going to end up hurting her even more. I contemplated my options as I made my way up the final set of stairs before reaching for the handle and taking a deep breath.

"Ok Nanoha...lets do this carefully." I whispered to myself and walked onto the roof.

As expected, Fate-chan was already there waiting for me. Her gaze was set to the sky, as if she were remembering something. She must have been deep in thought as she didn't even hear me as I crossed the area towards her. I could have sworn that I hear her sigh lightly to herself as approached within arm's length

"Fate-chan..." I whispered lightly in her ear causing her to snap out of her reverie and jump in surprise

"N-N-Nanoha!" she jerked and whirled around "You scared me." she breathed

"Are you ok?" I asked with a worried expression

"Of course" She smiled at me "I'm perfectly fine" she did an energetic pose "Why what's wrong?"

"Are you sure you aren't pushing yourself?" I questioned "You look like you are forcing yourself to do lots of things...like helping Yagami-san."

"I'm not" she shook her head "I'm doing it because I wanted to make sure that she has a pleasant school life and-"

"Fate-chan..." I walked up to her and hugged her tightly

"Nanoha...?" She looked at me surprised "What are you-?"

"Its ok, Fate-chan..." I stroked her hair softly "You don't have to hold it in."

"What are you talking about..." her voice lowered

"I am sorry about what happened to Chrono-kun..." I decided to go ahead and say it. She stiffened to my words but did nothing else, which I took as a sign to continue "I heard from Linith-san that he was your very first friend." I felt her shake a little bit "He was like a brother to you, wasn't he?" I hugged her a little bit tighter "When Alicia-san left the house, you felt alone. Your mother and Linith-san were always working and they gave whatever spare time they had to you, but it just wasn't the same was it?"

"Stop..."

"So when Chrono-kun showed up..."

"Please..."

"You were happy that someone had come to play with you again. Someone had shown up to help ease the sense of loneliness you had when your mother and Linith-san had to go." Her body started to tremble more violently "He treated you like his very own blood-related sister and helped you become the strong person you are today, didn't he?"

I felt water hit the side of my neck as her knees began to give. I did my best to support her and reassure her that I was still there. Her hands wrapped around my back haphazardly as if she was unsure whether to push me away or pull me close to her.

"Its ok, Fate-chan..." I pressed further "You haven't cried properly, have you?" We both dropped down and sat on the roof, still hugging each other "You are a strong girl, Fate-chan...but that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to cry" She bit back a gasp as the last of her resistance was whittling away. "I know what it is like to lose someone as well. So I know what suffering you must be enduring right now." I continued to stroke her gently while repeating the same words over and over again "Its ok...Its ok..."

"N..Nanoha..." she called my name once again before she finally released her anguish and cried.

I spun us around and leaned on the wall with her crying her heart out on my chest. I felt a sense of relief knowing that I was able to do something to help her with what happened. Despite how she looked, she was a very delicate girl and I didn't want anything bad to happen to her, so I wanted to do everything I could to at least ease her suffering.

Several moments later, she finally calmed down and appeared to be breathing normally once again. I looked down to see what had happened and noticed that she had fallen asleep on me. I carefully pulled out my cell phone from my pocket and looked at the time.

_"Its almost time to go"_ I thought to myself. _"I should wake her up or else we're going to be late for class..."_ I put my phone down and brushed the hair away from her face. I was going to reach over and shake her shoulder, but the sight of her sleeping peacefully just wouldn't let me do it. _"Oh well..."_ I sighed to myself defeated "_I think we can afford to miss one day"_ I smiled and leaned my head back and watched the clouds for several minutes before my eyelids became heavy and allowed me to sleep.

**~xX*Xx~**

I opened my eyes slowly to see the orange sky above. I stretched my arms slowly above my head and rubbed my eyes before looking around and coming to my senses.

"Ohayo~" a voice next to me called, startling me and wiping out whatever ties of sleep I had left. I instinctively swung my left hand out towards the voice and cursed myself the moment I did so. Luckily it was stopped so there was no accident "I thought you were learning control from mom" the voice chuckled

"Fate-chan" I breathed "You scared me." I relaxed as she laughed at my reaction "I'm sorry. I fell asleep also."

"No, I am the one who is sorry, Nanoha" the blond shook her head "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble for you" she looked at me worriedly

"Dont worry about it" I smiled at her "I wanted to do it. You are my friend remember?" I grasped her hands and reassured her "If you ever want to cry, please come to me." I looked her in the eyes. "I know this will take a little time to heal, but know that I am always going to be here to support you ok?"

"Thank you, Nanoha" she smiled genuinely at me with a small accumulation of water in her eyes. "Thank you." We started at each other in silence for a bit longer

"Oh there you are" a voice called from the door. Its owner walked over to us carrying three school bags "Seriously...I had to look all over the campus for you two since you didn't show up after lunch."

"Yagami-san" I stated as we both looked up at her "Sorry to have caused you problems as well" I apologized for the both of us.

"Dont worry about it." She sighed "I do owe Testarossa-san for showing me around the place." She distributed the bags "Here you go, Takamachi-san" she handed me my bag.

"If you don't mind" I reached over and grabbed my bag "would you call me 'Nanoha'?" I asked "You are a friend of Fate-chan so I would like to be your friend as well." I smiled. I figured it would be nice to surround Fate with friends in this trying time of hers so that she wouldn't be holding everything in.

"Of course" Yagami-san smiled and extended her hand to me "please call me Hayate, Nanoha-chan"

**~xX*Xx~**

"Nanoha!" Alicia waved to us from the gate of our school as Fate, Hayate and myself approached.

"Ah, Alicia-chan!" I waved and ran up to her "Did you wait long?"

"No, I got here early, don't worry about it" she smiled at me before turning to Fate and Hayate "Hello" she nodded

"Hello onee-chan" Fate greeted "Ah, let me introduce you." She turned to Hayate "This is Yagami Hayate-san, she just transferred over from Germany. She's in our class" She turned to Hayate "This is my twin sister, Alicia."

"Nice to meet you" Hayate smiled

Alicia nodded again

"Will you be ok going home?" I asked Fate worriedly "If you want I can walk you back and-"

"I'll be fine, Nanoha" Fate laughed a little bit "I'm not a kid you know~"

"I can walk her home" Hayate chimed in

"Eh?" Fate turned around "I don't want to impose though. Besides I am supposed to be the one helping _you_ out."

"Call it a little thanks then for showing me around the place" she lightly hit the blond in the hip

"Alright" Fate agreed "I'll see you tomorrow, Nanoha, Onee-chan" She waved "have fun at work~"

"Let's go Nanoha" My girlfriend called to me as Fate and Hayate turned the opposite direction. "How was your day?" she asked nonchalantly

"I only remember half of it" I confessed

"Wow...that boring huh?" She held my hand and picked up the pace a little bit when she realized we would be late

"Nah" I blushed a little bit at the act "I slept through it~" I laughed

"You're getting lazy" she laughed "Did the teacher say anything?"

"Nope~" I looked both ways as we prepared to cross the street "She didn't even know since I wasn't in class~"

"Where the heck were you sleeping?" She looked at me once we finished crossing

"I was on the roof with Fate-chan~"

**~~ Interlude 12-1 ~~**

"Why didn't you tell me you had a sister?" Hayate was a little surprised as the two girls walked towards the Testarossa residence

"I'm sorry." Fate shook her head "I had honestly thought you already knew about her. I thought you worked at INTERPOL. Shouldn't you people know this stuff?"

"The files on Agents like your mother are kept classified since she is still an informant." Hayate responded "We didn't even know you existed till we were told she had a daughter." She pondered "But now we have an even bigger problem, seeing as we have TWO daughters to worry about." She thought some more "By the way...why didn't we meet her at your house that night?"

"She lives somewhere else"

"Why?"

"I think it's about time you told me what is going on Agent Yagami." Fate stopped, understanding that the questions were getting more and more personal. "Why are you here? What does Onee-chan and myself have to do with anything? And why did you break into my house?"

"Alright..." Hayate sighed "You have the right to know anyway. Knowing will help us out in the long run since we now have to take care of your sister as well." She looked at her watch. "Would you like to talk it over at my place over dinner? It would be safer, considering what happened already."

"Alright" Fate nodded "In exchange you tell me everything."

"deal."

**~~ Interlude Out ~~**

"Hmmm~" Alicia stepped forward a few steps in front of me "So you did that with Fate huh" she faced forward and didn't look at me.

"Umm..would you happen to be jealous?" I tried teasing

"I am not jealous!" she whirled around with a slightly red face

"Oh come on, I did it as a friend!" I caught up to the blond who turned her head away from me in a *Humph* fasion. "You understand what happened right? She needs someone to support her right now..." I placed my hand on her shoulder "I'm the only one she has right now, Alicia-chan..."

"Alright...alright" She sighed in defeat as we approached the cafe "But its frustrating to know that my own girlfriend was hugging and sleeping with my twin sister..."

"I didn't sleep with her!" I protested as we entered the shop. I learned at that instant that what I said was one of the worst things to have other people walk into.

"High-school girls are really jumping the gun these days..." Satashi's fox ear headband (I think its a headband...I don't know I never really investigated) flicked several times

"You slept with someone _already?_" Alavon called from the counter she was setting up in "Aren't you and Alicia going out?"

"I didn't sleep with anyone!" I raised my hands in frustration, but of course no one was listening to me.

"What is this? Your relationship hasn't even lasted a month and you are already cheating?" Raiser joined in as he stepped out of the backroom carrying some supplies.

"I didn't cheat!" I cried out "Why isn't anyone listening to me?"

"What is all the ruckus?" Our manager, Radiant Beam stepped out from her office and looked around the cafe "Sounds like you guys are having a brawl out here."

"Nanoha was cheating on Alicia" Satashi stated calmly as she walked past the manager carrying some plates and glasses.

"You did what?" she looked at me before looking to Alicia who was sitting on the table facing the wall.

"I didn't sleep with anyone!" I protested again "I just held her sister while she was crying and fell asleep while she was sleeping on my chest!"

"That is the very definition of 'sleeping with someone' Nanoha" Satashi responded walking back to the kitchen to get more items

"Its ok Alicia" Alavon was patting the blond's back

"You slept with her sister?" RB exclaimed "Did you have a case of mistaken identity or something?"

"I cant believe...she did this to me..." Alicia sobbed "Did you really just go out with me because I looked like my sister?"

"No!" I was incredibly frustrated at this point. I wanted to just yell and scream and do _something_ to make them listen to me.

"We're joking, Nanoha" Raiser walked up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Eh?" I looked around at everyone else and noticed they were all smiling and grinning at me.

"You haven't been acting yourself for the past couple of days" Alavon stated, walking back to her position behind the register and began wiping the area

"You've been acting like you're been deep in thought" Raiser continued

"And it's really getting annoying" Satashi finished

"I told you before didn't I?" our mistress walked over to me "We are like a family here. If something is bugging you, its going to affect the rest of us."

I looked down, a little ashamed. I didn't realize how selfish I had become. Here I was, so focused on thinking of ways to help Fate out that I had missed the valuable help that was sitting right in front of me. On top of that, I made my own girlfriend worry.

"I'm sorry everyone..." I bowed "I was preoccupied with wanting to help a friend of mine deal with the recent situation that I lost sight of what was in front of me." I raised my head "I hope you all dont mind listening to all the problems I have from now on."

"There we go" Alavon stated "Now we can start operating like a normal cafe again."

"Well then" RB smiled "to commemorate this occasion, I have gotten these for tonight's shift!" She dropped a box that she pulled out of nowhere and dropped it on the floor.

"M-mistress...what is this?" Alicia started to back away slowly

"Hmm?" she responded "Oh this is just one of the packages I ordered a few weeks ago. Kaijo was kind enough to deliver it personally" she began to open it and take out the contents "Jya jyaaaaan~" she held up the contents.

"A swimsuit?" I asked blinking at the apparel

"I see..." Satashi noted, her eared headband moving on its own again

"What?" I looked at Alicia and watched the color drain from her face

"Fu fu fu~" RB grinned "Tonight...is 'Bunny' Night!"

All of us groaned in unison. This was going to be a long night~

* * *

_A/N: Well for those of you who have been patiently waiting, I give you my most sincere apologies. As I stated before, things have been rather hectic and getting time to do this has been dwindling recently. Hopefully I'll get a break soon and be able to start up the next part right away! I will leave a poll up on my profile page. If you don't have a account please feel free to e-mail your choice (it says my e-mail option is enabled). If it is still impossible...well hopefully that doesn't happen but if it does I'll try to think of a way~ The green link is below, thanks once again for your time and patience orz._


	14. Season 2 Chapter 3

_AN: Earthquakes and Tsunamis and Nuclear reactors and Whirlpools and Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh mai~ Yeah a lot has been going on, sorry . BUT! I haven't given up on the story yet! So that's one good thing right? *sweat-drops* Anyway! Here we go!_

* * *

**Season 2 Chapter 3**

A young girl sighed as she walked home from school late one evening. She decided to take the long route this time, passing by the usual shops and even deciding to groceries for the night.

"This should be good enough" she said to herself, looking down at the bags in front of her. She decided to turn down the alley and make her way through the shortcut that she found, figuring that it would be faster since it was already rather late. She stopped and held her bags in place momentarily as the wind picked up, her long blond hair flowing frantically in the small corridor.

"I've found you last" a voice called behind her.

The blond turned around and her red eyes locked onto the source of the voice. It was a young man about her age who sported a similarly long blond hair and had green eyes, a ruffled coat covered his body, but she was still able to identify him.

"...!" the girl's eyes went wide in surprise

"Its time we finished this once and for all!" the young man charged and was bearing down upon her until...

**~xX*Xx~**

*Beep* *beep* beep*

The annoying sound of the alarm woke me up instead of Linith's usual talk. I reached over slowly towards the sound of the annoying alarm, hoping to silence it or put it on snooze for another five minutes. My hand was about to slap the "snooze" button when it swiped and hit the table.

"...?" I was puzzled a little bit but reached further and tried again with the same result. The annoying alarm was still going off and there was nothing I could do, save get out of bed, to silence it. I groaned lightly and pulled the sheets from over my head only to be greeted with the alarm right in my face.

"Its time to get up, Testarossa-san" Hayate's voice hit my ears as the alarm stopped. "Are you always this slow in the morning?"

"I am not a waking up person, Agent Yagami" I stated sarcastically as I rolled over to go back to sleep

"Oh no you don't" she grabbed my sheets and yanked them from me, causing me to feel the morning chill and curl up into a ball on instinct to get warm. "Get up!"

I struggled around for a little bit hoping to get warm, but eventually stretched and sat up, knowing that I've been beat. "Good morning" I stated to her.

"Good morning indeed" she sighed looking at my horrible state "I know its my job to look after you, but I didn't think I would be in THIS much trouble" she sighed

"Well if you didn't spent all night last night telling me and making me understand everything, I probably would had more sleep Agent-chan" I semi-teased

"Hayate" she stated

"Huh?"

"My name is Hayate"

"Ah yes, Hayate-san"

"Good. Now that we are on a first name basis, get your butt downstairs already Fate-chan!" she ordered as she left the room.

"What did I get myself into..."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Good morning, Testarossa-san" Shamal greeted me from the kitchen "Breakfast will be ready in a moment"

"About time you got up" Vita looked up momentarily from the stack of papers she was looking through

"Be nice, Vita" Signum walked in from the back yard with a towel around her neck, indicating that she had been training "Good morning, Testarossa"

"Good morning" I greeted everyone else, noticing that one person was missing.

"Where is Zafira-san?" I asked

"He had to leave early to continue investigations" Hayate answered from behind me "Now then, lets eat!"

I sat down around the once again noisy table, thinking to myself how things developed from me being alone again to everyone suddenly being here.

**~~ Memory ~~**

"All right, is everyone here?" Hayate asked as she assembled her team at my living room

"All present" Signum looked around and noted.

"Testarossa-san" Hayate looked at me "This is my investigation team." she started from her right "This is Shamal, Zafira, Vita, and Signum." each one nodded in turn "They are here to help me in this case."

I greeted them all momentarily before they did the same and once again all attention was returned to Hayate.

"If at all possible...I would like to use your home as the main base of operations" she stated things plainly "It would be easier to protect you and I believe the benefits would outweigh the fact that whoever killed Chrono Harlaown would be less likely to present themselves."

My eyes widened "What do you-"

"I think that's a great idea" Shamal stated, cutting me off "There are several empty rooms and we wont have people constantly visiting to clean up the hotel, lowering our chances of letting information leak."

"But-!"

"This is also a equal distance between the station and the school..." Vita added "we could benefit from the faster response times should something happen."

"Yes but-!"

"This would also provide a good chance to keep the normal police off our backs till we can clear them completely of any involvement" Signum continued "They would think that we were still operationally located at the hotel."

"Umm..."

"I believe its wise for the school crew to stay here while the investigation crew keep everyone's attention away from what we are doing here, just so we can operate without being followed" Zafira spoke next

"I give up.."

"Its settled then ne?" Shamal smiled at me

"Hai..." I answered in defeat. There was no point in talking with these guys.

**~~ Memory End ~~**

_"If Yuuno could only see me now..._" I thought to myself, thinking about my ex. "Speaking of which...where has Yuuno been?" I spoke to myself, but audible enough for everyone else to hear.

"Yuuno?" Hayate repeated "Who is that?"

"Oh its no one, ha ha ha~" I tried to laugh the subject off "he's just an ex-boyfriend of mine."

"What you two have a fight or something?" Vita stated blatantly as she began reaching for her toast

"After what he did? Oh yeah" I responded automatically, without thought or reason "If Chrono wasn't there I would probably end up in the hospital or someth-"

"Fate-chan" Hayate interrupted me "what did you say?"

I could feel everyone's eyes on me as their actions froze in mid motion, all their attention swapped from

"Wh-what...?" I stared at everyone in surprise "I just said that if it wasn't for Chrono, I'd probably end up in the hospital"

"What happened, Testarossa?" Signum broke the silence afterwards and resumed eating

"It was nothing, we just broke up that's all"

"Almost ending up in the hospital sure is 'just breaking up' is it?" Vita took a large bite into her toast

"What does this have to do with anything?" I shook my head in disbelief

"Fate-chan" Hayate put her cup down "We have zero leads regarding the case of Chrono Harlaown, we don't know who killed him, why they killed him, and if they are coming after you next." her eyes looked into mine like with the training of a veteran investigator "We need all the help we can get."

"Well I still don't see how this has anything to do with it but..." I started recanting the story of that day and how Chrono had rescued me. As embarrassing as it was, they didn't seem to mind all the details as much as they did Yuuno's last words to us.

"'I'll get you' huh?" Hayate contemplated

"That doesn't sound like much at all" Vita stated

"That's true...just because he was beat by Harlaown doesn't necessarily mean that hes the killer." Signum agreed

"It could just be said in the heat of the moment" Shamal continued

"That is true" Hayate spoke again "but we don't have any other leads. We don't have a murder weapon, and the forensic lab hasn't found much if any evidence at all." she looked at me again "When was the last time you saw this Yuuno Scrya?"

"I haven't seen him since that day to be honest. So I would say a couple of weeks." Now that I thought about it, I don't recall seeing him at school either. Thoughts started racing through my mind

"He goes to your school right?" Shamal asked

"Yes, but I haven't seen him since the incident. Either hes avoiding me or hes been skipping school"

The investigators all looked at each other. I felt a little lost being unable to follow their train of thought-like being the only one in class that didn't understand the math problem of the board when I had spent the entire night studying it.

"What?"

"Well, even though its only a small lead, its the only one we've got." Hayate finally answered "Since there will be 3 of us at school with you, we'll look around and at least try to find out where he is before we have Vita-chan and Zafirra bring him in for questioning."

"You better get going" Vita stated, looking at the clock "Don't want to be late now do you?"

**~xX*Xx~**

"Good morning, Fate-chan" Nanoha's voice rang in my ears as she approached my desk "How are you feeling?"

"Good morning, Nanoha" I greeted with a smile "How are you?"

"Oh the usual" she responded "Keeping watch over the house, working with Alicia-chan at the cafe, managing homework, you know~" she laughed lightly "How about you? How are you holding up?"

"Doing better" I responded honestly "Just recovering from the incident with Yuuno and then with Chrono..." I trailed off

"Speaking of which" Nanoha tilted her head "I haven't seen Yuuno-san recently"

Her words made my eyes widen. I had completely forgotten to show Hayate which class Yuuno was in so they could get Vita or Zafira to bring him in for questioning.

"...Fate-chan?" Nanoha's words snapped me out of my thoughts "Are...you ok?"

"I-I'm sorry" I shook my head to clear it "I just thought of something"

"You've been staring into space a lot recently" she stated, worry written all over her face "Ne, you should take a couple of days off-or at least go to the nurse's office dont you think?"

"I'm ok, Nanoha" I smiled back

"You only think you are" she placed her hands on my desk and leaned forwards in an all-too-familiar pose "I learned a few things from your mother" her eyes narrowed "Go to the infirmary...now" she pointed

"Yes, mother..." rolled my eyes in mock sarcasm and decided to take a break after all. I was feeling a little mentally exhausted the past several days and its taken a toll on my body finally. I made my way to the nurse's office and managed to secure a bed. I wasnt sure where the nurse had gone to, but I heard that we had a new one. I shook my head lightly and that brought a slight headache, forcing me to lie down. The moment my head hit the pillow, a wave of comfort and exhaustion just washed over me, shutting down my body and casing me to sleep.

**~xX*Xx~**

When I had finally awaken, my eyes were met with orange light. I blinked several times to try to get adjusted before something else had enveloped my vision.

"Good morning" Nanoha's face came close to mine with a smirk that said "I told you so." She turned to look at the clock before redirecting her gaze back at me "You've been sleeping all day-its already after school."

"Wha-?" I tried to process her words through the fog of confusion. "Its already this late?" I sat up slowly and held my head. I had to admit...that did really help me out.

"Yeah" she looked at me rather worriedly "If Shamal-sensei hadn't realized how tired you were, you probably would have had to sit through the boring class lectures all day"

"Huh? Shamal-sensei?" my brain fully awakened "Who is-"

"Hai?" The school nurse pulled the curtain back further "Did you call?"

My eyes widened "Shamal...sen...sei?" surprise was pretty obvious in my expression. I knew that there were going to be a couple agents here but I didn't really expect them to be THIS open about it. I figured she would have been like a secretary or hiding behind the shadows or-

"Fate-chan?" Nanoha snapped me out of it "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Y-yeah..." I smiled weakly "I'm sorry, I must still be a little sleepy"

"Come on" she offered her hand "I'll walk you home"

"Thanks" I accepted out of reflex before I saw Shamal's expression "On second thought, I am fine I can make it on my own"

"Its ok, I am not doing anything anyway. Work was canceled today since the Mistress was out of town, so I can walk home with you today"

"No, seriously, Nanoha. I'm fine!" I tried again, but she gave me that look that my mother uses which states 'You are no arguing with me. Get up and do it. NOW'. "Ok..." I finally gave in, mumbling to myself that shes been spending too much time with mom.

"Testarossa-san..." Shamal's expression was worrisome

"I'll be ok, Shamal-sensei" I turned my back to Nanoha and mouthed out a "Please tell the others" before bowing and heading to Nanoha's side. "lets go?"

We made our way through the halls towards the teacher's lounge. I was going to apologize at least for sleeping all day. I figured it was the least I could do-after all, I had just skipped out on an entire day without permission. That and I had to delay Nanoha from bringing me home as long as possible.

"Did you need something from the teacher's lounge?" A voice came up from behind us as we were about to knock on the door.

"Signum!" I said aloud to my surprise.

"Eh?" Nanoha looked at me "You already know Signum-sensei? She just transferred in this morning..."

"Ah! No!" I immediately thought of an excuse "I, um, its complicated-ha ha ha ha ha" I prayed deep down that she would believe it.

"Hnnnnn~" she eyed me suspiciously as if to say _'I know you're lying...anything else you want to tell me?'_

"What did you need, Testarossa?" Signum stated in a professional manner

"I-I just came by to say sorry to my homeroom teacher for missing class all day" I sweat dropped "I was sleeping in the infirmary the whole time."

"I see" the instructor stated "You need to take better care of yourself."

"Umm..." Nanoha finally spoke up "How do you know her, Sensei?"

"I carry a class roster with me." She answered "I also made note since she was not preset during gym class."

"A-ah..." Nanoha responded rather embarrassed at asking a silly question "If you'll excuse us then" she grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway

"W-wait! Nanoha!" I called helplessly as I was dragged all the way to the stairs. I cursed myself a little at not being able to explain the situation to Signum, but I had hoped that she had understood. "Wait!" I called as she continued dragging me towards the shoe lockers.

**~xX*Xx~**

"What do you think?" Nanoha asked as we passed by a cake store on the way home to my house "Wouldn't that be delicious?"

"Yeah" I smiled wryly. I wasn't really paying attention to her since I was thinking of ways to stall her long enough to give Hayate a chance to escape from my house.

"What's wrong?" She turned to face me. "Are you ok? Maybe we should go home now"

"No-no its-" I stopped when I noticed a pair of hands appear from under Nanoha's arms and latch on to her chest

"Kyaaaa!" she screamed and swing around in an attempt to attack her molester

"Good reaction" her assailant stayed behind the shocked girl, continuing her massage "I didn't think you could scream like that and-urk!"

I donked the girl over the head. "Onee-chan..." I pulled Nanoha away slowly "you need to learn to have some decency"

"Ita-ta-ta-ta~" she rubbed her head and looked back at us "Whats wrong with getting to know your girlfriend's body eh?" she licked her lips

"Alicia-sama, are you ok?" another girl came to her and checked the wound

"'-sama'?" Nanoha and I spoke at the same time.

"I'm ok, Lena" she stood up and straightened herself "Ah yes" she turned to the girl next to her. "This is Lena, my servant" she turned to the said girl "And this is Fate, my twin, and this is Takamachi Nanoha, my girlfriend"

"Nice to meet you, Testarossa-sama, Takamachi-sama" the girl bowed

"Eh...nice to meet you" I sweat-dropped, really not used to being addressed that way.

"N-nice to meet you too" Nanoha responded, obviously feeling the same way

"So what are you two doing?" Alicia asked us

"Fate-chan wasn't feeling well" Nanoha responded before I could "She slept in the infirmary all day, so I thought it would be good if I took her home"

"I see..." Alicia's expression saddened a little bit "And I was waiting for you too..." she murmured to herself.

"Eh?"

"Nothing" she smiled "Want to come with us?" she offered "We are going shopping for tonight"

"Go with them, Nanoha" I nudged her "I'll be fine. I am going to go straight home" I felt relieved that now I had a chance to keep Nanoha from visiting me.

"But..." she looked at me with concern

"I'll be fine" I laughed "I did sleep all day like you said. Besides I don't want the two lovebirds to be interrupted no?"

"If you are that concerned, I could have Lena take her home" Alicia offered, looking at the other girl who nodded in response

"Would you do that?" Nanoha looked at Lena "Would you please take her home?"

"Nanoha..." I wanted to protest

"If you'll allow me to" she smiled at me

"Alright..." I sighed in defeat. There was no way I could turn down that offer especially when it became a 3 vs 1 battle.

"Lena, make sure she gets home and meet us at the station later ok?"

"Hai, Alicia-sama" the girl nodded and then walked to my side "shall we?"

**~xX*Xx~**

The trip home was rather quiet. More like I couldn't think of anything to say to her. Here I was, being walked home by a total stranger-a servant for that matter who worked for my sister. What was I supposed to talk about? I'd feel like a total moron if I tried something, but at the same time the silence was weighing heavy. Luckily for me, the final corner was approaching fast.

"Well here we are" I declared as we approached the gate to my house "thanks very much for taking me here."

"No, its my pleasure" she smiled.

"How...did you become my sister's...servant?" I finally asked the question that's been bugging me since I met this girl "Did she hire you?"

"Not at all" the girl flipped her hair "I volunteered."

"Eh?" I was taken aback. That was totally not the response I was expecting "You volunteered? Why?"

"Alicia-sama has always been someone I've admired" she began "Ever since she helped me out back then, I've always been watching her from afar."

"That sounds like what a stalker would do" I teased

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" the flailed "its just...I never had the chance to say 'thank you' to her for that time." She recovered as I had a little laugh "By the way" she looked towards the nameplate on the gate "How come you and Alicia-sama live in different places?"

"..." I didn't quite know how to respond

"Ah, I'm sorry" she quickly added "Its just that she never mentioned anything about having a sister, much less why she lived elsewhere"

"No, its alright" I smiled "Its just complicated, that's all" I knew it wasn't the best answer but it was the one I could think of that would make the most sense.

"I understand" she nodded "I better be off. Alicia-sama is probably waiting for me to bring the groceries in" she started running off "Take care, Testarossa-sama" she waved in the distance and disappeared around the corner

"So Onee-chan even makes her do the shopping huh?" I tried to make sense of what she said "I wonder how much trouble she's going through."

I opened up the gate and took my keys out of my bag, but before I could put the key in, the door opened for me

"About time you got home" Vita greeted me at the door "Where have you been?"

"I was just doing some searching with Nanoha" I answered "And I was talking with one of my sister's...friends" I stepped inside, a little annoyed at the midget's tone.

"You need to quit doing that" she walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass of water and came back to me "you are possibly being targeted, you cant keep doing random things."

"So I am supposed to give up my social life for this?" I accepted the glass of water. "You cant be serious"

"At this point you have no choice if you want to live" the agent started walking back into the house.

"This is bad!" a voice came from the other side of the door as it opened "Vita-chan! Let everyone know that-" Shamal stopped when she saw me "Oh...I guess I'm late"

"Its ok, I somehow managed to divert everything" I responded as I took my shoes off and turned them around "However that was a close call since my sister's...maid walked me home."

"Alicia...-san, was it?" Shamal pondered a moment "Well anyway, I am glad things worked out." She stretched out "The budget meeting today took longer than expected."

"I'm home!" The door opened once again, this time producing one Yagami Hayate. "Sorry I'm late, I had to meet Zafira down at the precinct to deal with some immediate issues that came up." she noticed as all gathered at the entrance hall "What's going on?" she tilted her head.

"Nothing" I sighed "Just the usual commotion around the house nowadays."

"Ah, I see" the agent massaged her shoulders "Ne, would you mind if I used the bath first, my body is rather tense right now."

"I'll get it ready for you" Vita stated as she walked towards the bathroom

"I'll go prepare dinner" Shamal responded, knowing that some of us were rather hungry already

"Great, I'll lay out our findings so we can have a meeting with everyone once Zafira and Signum get home." the leader nodded and kicked her shoes off.

"I guess...I'll go...upstairs" I muttered to myself as I watched everyone else move around to their current tasks. Sometimes it felt like I was living in another person's house with the way these people were so...syncronized I guess is the word.

"Ah, Fate-chan" Hayate called to me as I headed towards my room

"Yes?"

"Would you like to join me?" She grinned

**~xX*Xx~**

"Ok, its time for our meeting" Hayate began as all the agents gathered around the living room table "Let's start with what you were able to find out in the precinct." she looked at Vita and Zafira

"Well, I looked over the autopsy report of the body again" Zafira responded "Other than the usual defensive wounds you'd find on a struggle like that, there have been little physical evidence"

"They find the weapon?" Signum asked

"No" Vita responded "But they say it was caused by a blunt object-like a bat or something."

"So no new leads huh?" Hayate leaned back "Anything from the members of the police force?"

"No" the midget answered "If there is a mole in there, he is hidden very well."

"There is one thing we discovered" Zafira spoke up again "There were some fingerprints found on the Harlaown body that are unidentifiable at this time. Some of them were bloody, so we assumed they were left by the culprit when he threw the body into the trash bin. We'd like to ask everyone who saw him that day to be fingerprinted"

"Do you have any idea how difficult that would be?" Shamal frowned "That is asking nearly every single person in the school to have their fingerprints taken"

"That's true" Hayate continued "We don't know how many people would have touched him that day, also we don't know if those prints came from the people who pulled him out of the bin either."

"Well we can at least run the bloody prints" Signum answered "That should limit the number of suspects right?"

"That is true...there are only three confirmed finger prints so far that have been covered with blood, but the analysts aren't 100% sure if they are from the same person-much less who they belong to"

"So the only lead so far that we have is a small domestic dispute between kids at a school" Hayate sighed and looked at me "Speaking of which...where is your ex-boyfriend?"

"Oh yeah!" I had completely forgotten "I didn't see him at all today. I was going to ask the other instructors if he's been in, but I was interrupted by some stuff." I thought back to the events of this morning

"Indeed, he wasn't at school today when I came by and asked for him" Zafira confirmed

"Don't you think that's rather suspicious?" Vita voiced out "Hes been missing all the time that the investigation has been going on. Doesn't that raise any flags for you?"

"No?" I responded sheepishly

"Nevermind" she hung her head

"Where does he live?" Hayate asked

"I can give you the address. He doesn't live too far from here and-"

The sound of the door bell interrupted me

"Ah that must be the package I ordered" Shamal stood up and went towards the door "Hai, one moment please" she opened it

"Shamal-sensei?" an all-too-familiar voice spoke from the other side of the door

_"Oh crap"_ I thought to myself as I looked towards the door and to a familiar set of eyes

"Takamachi-san?" Hayate spoke out of reflex

"Yagami-san?" she stared around the room at all the familiar and unfamiliar faces "What is going on?"

"Nanoha" another voice came from behind her "what is going o-whoa!"

"Onee-chan..." I recognized

"What is going on here?" Nanoha's piercing eyes were aimed right at me

"We're um...having a parent-teacher conference?" I shrugged, obviously lying

"What are you all doing here?" Alicia demanded an answer "I may not be living here anymore, but this is still my mother's house."

"I guess it cant be helped" Hayate sighed "At the very least we need your sister's cooperation." She looked up at the two "It would make things easier for us as well."

"But Nanoha has nothing to do with this!" I protested

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha walked up to me and got in my face "For as much as I have been worrying about you, don't you dare say I am not part of anything!"

"Nanoha" Alicia called, in a move to restrain her girlfriend from possibly tearing into my face. "What is going on Fate? Who are these people? And where is mom?"

"Well you see..." I tried to make up something

"So mom went on assignment again even thought shes retired, and these people" she looked at everyone else "are the guards she left behind for you."

"How did you guess?" Shamal asked before thinking

"I know more about my mother's life than she does" Alicia responded "My father was also an agent. Why do you think I don't live here anymore?"

"What should we do?" Zafira asked their leader

"I guess it cant he helped." Hayate repeated "We'll share some details regarding our objectives with the sisters, however" she turned her gaze to Nanoha "I don't think we can allow others into this."

"What do you mean?" Nanoha flared "I have just as much right to be here as any of them!"

"We mean you aren't part of this" Vita reiterated "You are in no way, shape or form involved in this matter at all."

"Calm down, Vita" Signum put her hand on the red head's shoulder "However I must agree, she has no involvement in this matter at all."

I gave a slight sigh of relief, knowing that Nanoha would be safe at least.

"I'm not so sure" Alicia spoke up "Depending on the situation, she may very well already be involved or has the potential to be involved as long as she stays around us."

Hayate sat there with an unreadable expression on her face. I wasn't quite sure what was going through her mind, but it must have been weighing the pros and cons of having Nanoha involved.

"Under what basis do you make that statement?" She asked

"Nanoha is my girlfriend" Alicia answered easily "Its obvious that she'd be around me a lot of the time." she spared a quick glance at the said girl "And Fate and I are twins. I don't know what you guys are here for, but if you are guarding her from something, and they mistake me for her. Nanoha will most definitely be involved."

"You do make a point" Signum nodded

"Agreed" Hayate stated "Ok then. We'll let Takamachi-san stay, but we cant involve her too much on the details. Agreed?"

"But-!" Nanoha protested

"Agreed" Alicia nodded

"I'll go make some tea for everyone" Shamal got up and went to the kitchen

Hayate leaned back in her seat "Well...let's start from the beginning I guess..."

* * *

_AN: Yeah sorry for taking so long to bring this out. I swear I have not forgotten this story nor do I not plan on finishing it. I've gotten this far, might as well continue right? ^.^ Thank you all for being incredibly patient. I know that this probably wont make up for it, but...I've been sorta distracted recently XD *dodges all incoming bullets* I still got a few more twists and turns planned_, _so I hope you all look forward to it ^.^_

**~ Bonus ~  
**

"Ne, Fate-san" Hayate walked outside to the back porch and sat next to me "Are things ok with you and your sister?"

"Why do you ask?" I tilted my head to the side.

"Well, its just a hunch that's all" She looked up at the moon with me "Its just that I find it odd how shes not living here under the same roof as you and when she refereed to your parents she said 'my' not 'our'. I just thought that was a rather peculiar thing to do. Maybe its just me."

"No, you're right" I sighed "Things are a little complicated between us right now. Actually they have been complicated for many years now."

Hayate said nothing and just continued to listen

"Mom says she left because she couldn't stand being reminded of dad everyday. Ever since he died, onee-chan has been different."

"What does that have to do with you?" She finally spoke

"I don't know. Maybe its because I wasn't as attached to him as she was. I was more drawn to our mother while she to dad." I frowned a little "Maybe she couldn't forgive me for not taking the loss more seriously like she must have."

"I see" the agent remained silent a few moments before getting up "its getting late, lets go to bed."

"Thanks Hayate" I called behind her "for sorting everything out, especially with Nanoha."

"Its part of my job" she smiled to herself "Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi..."


	15. Season 2 Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long~ I havent given up on the project, its just been busy as heck so. Well here we go again~  
_

* * *

**Season 2 Chapter 4**_  
_

_Captain's log, Stardate: 1068249. _I typed away at the keys before stopping and hitting the backspace all the way to the beginning. "I need to quit watching these foreign shows." I muttered lightly as I leaned back in the seat to regather my thoughts.

The moon was shining full in the sky tonight, providing me with enough light so that I could see the keys while assisted by the dim glow of the monitor, the large spacious room looking ever more sizable as the hours dragged on.

"Come in." I answered as I heard a knock on the door.

"Aruji..." Signum came in with two cups in her hands. "You're still up at this hour?" She walked next to the desk and placed one down for me.

"You wouldn't have brought me a drink if you didn't know I was still up." I smirked at her before turning my gaze back to my report. "This is more of my personal diary than anything else." I took a sip. "I would like to have a record of our cases."

"I see..." Signum leaned against the wall and looked outside the window. "How do you think this will end?"

"I don't know," I responded. "I hope it all turns out for the best." I turned my gaze to stare at the moon. "I hope it turns out for the best..."

"I hope so too." The pink-haired woman headed towards the door. "Don't stay up too late. You know we have to rest as well as work."

"Thanks Signum." I smiled as she left. "Ok, back to work!" I readied myself again as I looked over the files.

**Fate Testarossa**

The screen blinked at me

**Age: 17**

**Known relatives:**

**- Father: Unknown (Deceased)**

**- Mother: Precia Testarossa**

**- Sister: Alicia Testarossa**

The shielded of the two Testarossa daughters. Not only didn't she know about her parents' line of work, she also didn't know that her sister knew anything about it. She lives with her mother, Precia Testarossa, and their long-time friend and maid Linith. All in all, she lives the life of a standard teenager. Not involved in any clubs, she devotes herself to her studies in hopes of going to a university. She lives separately from her twin sister for reasons that are yet unknown-though speculation orbits around the deceased father. Not much more information is current regarding that situation. Childhood friend of the victim, Chrono Harlaown, apparently they grew up in an almost sibling-like relationship. She's rather friendly and easy to get along with...just don't leave her alone in the kitchen unsupervised for very long.

**Chrono Harlaown**

**Age: 17**

**Known relatives:**

**- Father: Clyde Harlaown (Deceased)**

**- Mother: Lindy Harlaown**

Found dumped in a garbage bin, murdered. Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. No proof of whoever did it. No murder weapon. Son of District Chief Lindy Harlaown, currently on assignment with Precia Testarossa. A young sterling kid with a bright future, his instructors had high hopes for him. Some even thought that he would one day take his mother's position as chief. Grew up in a difficult situation without a father and having his mother be on call 24/7, he practically raised himself and tried to help out around the house as much as possible. He found a connection to Fate Testarossa in the fact that they were both kids with a single parent. The connection grew over the years as they continued to help each other out in their personal struggles, eventually developing into a strong sibling-like relationship. DNA samples were found and collected on the body, several fingerprints were also taken. However no matches are available to identify any of it. Body will be held in the morgue for another 17 days before burial.

**Nanoha Takamachi**

**Age:17**

**Known Relatives:**

**- Father: Shiro Takamachi (Deceased)**

**- Mother: Momoko Takamachi (Deceased)**

An innocent bystander drawn into the case through association. Alicia Testarossa's girlfriend currently. Your typical high schooler with a caring attitude and give-it-your-best aura. She is living alone in her parents' old home, she manages her chores and works part-time at the Shiny Sword Cafe with Alicia. Her stubbornness becomes problematic at times, but it is truly one of her strong points. Her connection to the Testarossas is still unknown to me as of this report, however her relevance in the case is starting to become more and more significant.

**Yuuno Scrya**

**Age: 17**

**Known Relatives:**

**- Father: Unknown**

**- Mother: Unknown**

Suspect in the case of Chrono Harlaown. Currently missing. Has not been in school since three days after the murder. A search of his house turned up little to no evidence. Fingerprints found are still being matched in the lab. All other data is currently incomplete. Has no confirmed relatives and school records contain minimum information. Has no criminal record on file nor can we find any history linking him with any kind of terrorist group. All in all, we know nothing about him.

**Alicia Testarossa**

**Age: 17**

**Known Relatives:**

**- Father: Unknown (Deceased)**

**- Mother: Precia Testarossa**

**- Sister: Fate Testarossa**

The enigma of the Testarossa twins. She seems to have extensive knowledge of what her parents do for a living. Unlike her twin, she seems to be deeply immersed into the system-so much so that Precia Testarossa might be training her as a replacement. It is unknown why she decided to live separate from her mother and twin, however despite the distance, Precia Testarossa has found time to train and educate her. It is unclear the extent of her abilities, but she is one I would certainly look out for.

I sighed to myself as I reread all the papers. All the data we have is still inconclusive. There was nothing solid that we had to work with other than the fact that Chrono Harlaown is dead, Yuuno Scrya is missing, Precia Testarossa is on assignment with Lindy Harlaown, and we have no clues. Our best lead in this case was Yuuno Scrya. It is unconfirmed, but he may have been the last person to see Chrono Harlaown alive. If that is the case, we can figure out if hes working with a terrorist organization or just happened to be involved in a case of foul play.

"I certainly hope this is just a small matter..." I muttered to myself before saving my work and shutting down the computer. "I would really hate for someone these girls were once close to to be..." I shook my head. "I hope I'm over-thinking. It's time for bed."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Hayate..." A voice called out to me. "Hayate!" It kept getting louder.

"Let me." Another familiar voice caught my ears.

I was about to open my eyes when-

"Bwahahaha!" My eyes shot wide open and I began laughing like crazy as as the two people began tickling me. "Hahaha, stop! Stop! Haha! Please-hahaha!" I tried fending them off, but to no avail.

"You up yet?" Vita stopped and glared at me. "You have to get to school, you know." She placed her hands on her hips. "Come on. Even Fate managed to get up before you today."

I looked at the said girl and noticed her smiling as usual. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like she was forcing it for some reason. Either way...it's probably just me being tired from that wake up call.

"I'll be down in a minute." I stated, stretching my arms over my head to try to work the kinks out. _"Maybe I shouldn't have stayed up so late last night..." _I beat myself mentally as I stood up and went to the bathroom. We had to find Yuuno Scrya, we had to for the sake of this case. The fact that he's able to evade us so well is beginning to be problematic.

"Hayate?" A voice called from downstairs

"Coming!" I called back while I finished straightening my hair.

I brushed my teeth while I threw my uniform on, glancing every so often at the clock to make sure I had enough time to spare to eat breakfast, glance at reports, establish assignments and head to school. Today was like any other busy day, except for the fact that I have to actually go back to school. I would never have thought that I would have a job that would require me to become a student again.

"All right, I'm here." I called as I went down the stairs and towards the kitchen table. "Report."

"I got the analysis of the fingerprints from the lab," Signum began. "It says there is a very high probability that the bloody fingerprints belong to Yuuno Scrya." she flipped the page and skimmed through it again "However, they aren't 100% certain since they could only match parts of the print with the ones taken from his house."

"That doesn't answer much." I munched on the food that Shamal placed in front of me. "All that says is that he touched Chrono Harlaown. It doesn't establish the fact that he was the killer. He could have just ran up to the body, panicked, and ran away."

"That is some optimistic thinking..." Vita chirped in "It almost seems as if you are trying to clear him as a suspect."

"I'm just saying that all we have-thank you-" I nodded to Shamal as she brought me a drink. "That all we have is circumstantial evidence. It will never hold up even if we catch him."

Vita looked a little disappointed, but she understood where I was coming from at least.

"Is there anything else?" I reached for the toast.

"Yes, actually." Zafira called from the hallway.

"Welcome back" We all greeted him as he was out on patrol last night.

"What did you find?" I asked before glancing at the clock and speeding up my food consumption.

"There was a girl," He started. "Oh thanks." He smiled at Signum as she handed him a warm cup of coffee. "There was someone who saw our suspect recently."

I froze momentarily with my mouth wide open about to bite the last piece of bread. I looked at him with a stare that said "Please continue...quickly." since I was also holding my breath trying not to miss any words that might come out of his mouth.

"She said she saw someone, who matched the suspect, attack another girl." He relaxed his shoulders and sat down on the table across from me. "She was rather vague on some parts of her description, but when we showed her a photo of the suspect that we took from his home, she immediately recognized him."

"So who was he attacking?" I couldn't hold my breath any longer. "And where is he now? Where is the girl? Who is she?"

"One at a time." Vita glared at me. "You'll have to deal with this later too." She pointed her thumb at the clock. "It's time for school"

"Hayate-san?" Fate came to the kitchen "Are you ready to go?"

"Sorry. I'll be skipping today." I stated. "This new break needs further investigation."

"Oh, I see." She responded, wobbling a little as she turned around to head to the door.

"Are you ok?" Shamal ran to her side and caught her

"Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled and snapped back up. "I'll be going ahead then." She put her shoes on. "I'll tell the instructor you have a cold or something. Bye!" She waved at us before rushing out the door.

"I think she is the one who has a cold..." Shamal looked concerned.

"Hmmm?" I glanced over at the comment.

"Her hand felt really hot. She must have a fever or something. Maybe I should bring some medicine for her later..."

"I'm sorry, Shamal, but I will need the entire team working today." I stated looking down at the report files that Zafira brought in.

"Are you sure you aren't going?" Vita poked me on the shoulder.

"We need to follow up on this." I skimmed through the report. "It says here the girl's name is Nakajima Ginga, correct?"

"That's correct." Zafira nodded. "She is a 3rd grader at your school. She reported the incident while she was on her way home from club activities. She was scared at first, thinking that he might have seen her and would go after her if he knew."

"Has anyone else met with her? Where is she?"

"She is a little scared to go to school right now, but we somehow managed to convince her to go. I told her that we'll have agents watching out for her-which is true since Signum and Shamal should be there."

"We're heading out." Signum called from the door. "Shamal and I will keep watch over her today so don't worry about things."

"Roger that." I nodded "Don't reveal yourselves unless necessary. Zafira will come pick her up after school and take her to the station to file another report. I will take today off and go through the reports at the station. It would be rather suspicious if the commander doesn't show their face every once in a while."

"Understood." Zafira responded "I'll have a car waiting for her then."

"Vita, I want you to go with me to the Scrya house. I want to search for more clues if possible."

"Ok, I'll prepare everything." The redhead stated "But first you should finish your breakfast." She glared at me as I tried to get up from my half-eaten plate.

"Ugh... hai hai."

**~xX*Xx~**

"I know I said to pick her up..." My eyebrow twitched annoyingly. "But I recall saying to pick her up after school."

"Yeah." Zafira responded.

"Then why is she in the interrogation room right now?" I pointed to the glass that separated us from the said room.

"She wasn't feeling well so she was instructed to go home. I met her along the way and brought her here for a few moments." He responded. "I am going to take her home after this, I promise."

"Well lets get this started then..." I sighed and nodded for him to go into the room.

"I'm so sorry to have called you here again." Zafira said to the girl inside. "I just have a few more questions to ask you if you don't mind."

"No, not at all." She smiled, despite the fact that she was obviously nervous about being inside a police interrogation room.

"Would you please confirm again," He slid a picture to her. "that this was the person you saw that day."

She looked at the photo for less than a second and nodded. "Yes. That is the person I saw."

"What was he doing again?"

"It seemed like he was attacking a girl. I was not able to truly remember what school she went to since she was sort of in the shadows, but I could tell from the design that it was a school uniform."

"What else did you see?"

"Nothing more than that. I heard a yell, got curious, went over to see what was happening, and I got scared and ran once I saw what he was holding."

"What he was holding?"

"It was shiny-like a knife or something."

"And then you turned around and ran home?"

"Of course!" She almost cried out. "I was scared! I didn't know what to do and I wasn't sure if he saw my face!" She started shaking. "On top of that, he was wearing our school uniform. I don't know if he's going to come after me next!"

"I promise he won't go after you-"

"How can you be so sure?" Her eyes were teary. "Are you going to have people protecting me all the time? Will you have guards following me around? What about my family? What about at home?" She wiped her eyes a little bit. "If he knows I saw him, I don't know what will happen to me."

Zafira could say nothing as he and I both know that we already had our hands full guarding one family.

"...we will do our best." He finally spoke after she calmed down. "I know it might not sound as much, but we will do our best to help protect you."

"What about that girl?" She gathered herself. "What happened to her?"

"I'm sorry but there have been no reports on the girl you mentioned." He responded. "What did she look like?"

"She was...a girl with long blond hair. At first I thought it was two girls fighting considering they both had long hair, but it was apparent that one of them was male because of the uniform and his voice."

My eyes widened and I ran out of the observer's room. _"Shit!" _I thought to myself. _"Long blond hair? That could be anyone...but the only person I know of that he would go after that fits that description would be Fate. But she is ok so the only other person would be..."_ I jumped in the car and drove off.

**~xX*Xx~**

I parked the car at the nearby parking lot and got out. I ran towards the front gate of the school and it was just after the school bell rang marking the end of the day. I stopped at the gate to catch my breath and stepped inside the compound.

"Umm..." A voice caught my attention. "Are you lost?"

"Eh?" I turned to the male student who called out to me.

"Are you a transfer student?"

"Eh?" I repeated my question.

"I don't think this is your school..." He pointed to my clothes. "Are you looking for someone in particular?"

I looked down at myself and realized that I was wearing the school uniform for Fate's school. I had been so busy worrying about the case that I had completely forgotten the fact that I had not changed since this morning.

"Oh!" I sighed. "I'm so sorry. Yes, I am looking for someone in particular, her name is-"

"Alicia!" A cheery voice called from towards the building.

"Ah, there she is." I bowed to the boy. "Sorry to bother you." I acted like a normal student and walked towards the area.

A short girl with pink hair was talking to Alicia . She was so short, she looked more like a grade school student. There were three other people with her, which I assumed to be her close friends just from reading the atmosphere. I ignored the stares the other students were giving me as I made my way towards my target.

"Ne, can I borrow your notes~?" The short girl spoke.

"Sorry, no." Alicia responded almost immediately.

"Whoa! That's direct." The other blond spoke up.

"Notes?" The purple-haired girl spoke up next. "Ah! Midterms are next week!"

"Suzuka-sama," The third girl spoke up. "Did you forget already? You were the one reminding us about it during lunch today..."

"Ahahaha~" The girl named Suzuka laughed.

"I can't believe you could be forgetful sometimes." The other blond spoke.

"I am not as bad as you are, Alisa-chan."

"What did you say?"

"Gnnnnnhhhh!" The two of them faced each other and went to a stand-off. You could almost see the sparks going between them. I walked up to them and tried to find a moment to pop in.

"Now now, don't fight." Alicia broke up the duo before turning back towards the small girl.

"Will you let me?" The small girl asked again.

"You do understand that tests are there to put your daily knowledge to practice, right?" Alicia responded.

"Yes, but...could you help me out? At least give me some advice?" She pleaded.

"Sure." Alicia grinned. "It's called: Studying every day."

"Low blow." Suzuka whispered to me and Alisa. "Caro-san has never been good with studying."

"W-will you teach me then?" Caro tried again. "I'll buy you a drink for your troubles."

"Haaaa..." Alicia sighed heavily. "Now you not only want my notes, but also want me to teach you. On top of that you are bribing me to do so... How low can you get?" She looked away disappointed.

"Wow, she is ruthless." Alisa pulled me, Suzuka, and the other girl together. "It almost looks like Caro-san is being bullied."

"Umm...that is what is going on." I whispered to the group as I sweat-dropped. We turned our attention back to see what was going to happen next.

"Fine then." Caro was in tears and her voice was trembling. "I was only asking as a friend but you cant even do that! Our friendship is over!" she cried out.

"So you only consider me your friend because I can help you out?" Alicia turned her back to Caro. "What an incredibly shallow meaning you have for picking your friends."

"I...I..." Caro tried to respond.

"I heard all about your study habits from Lena." She looked at the last unknown girl. "She told me that all you ever do during class is sleep."

"T-that's..."

"So basically while you sleep, I'm taking notes." Alicia continued her ruthless assault. "At home what do you do all night? Play games?"

"..." Caro opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out since she knew Alicia was on the dot.

"Putting aside the fact that I do training, cook food, clean the house, and do my other chores, I still make time to study even if its just a little bit."

You could see Caro's eyes starting to water as the words being spoken were stabbing themselves deep into her.

"Now you are asking me to show you all of my hard work. Am I not allowed to say 'No, I don't want to'?" She paused for a moment to make eye contact "Do I really fail as a friend for that?" She broke contact and looked towards the gate. "I can't believe you think I am no longer worth having as a friend because of those selfish reasons..."

"U-uwaaaaaaan!" Caro broke down crying like a child. People around us were also starting to look at the scene.

"What a way to finish her off..." Lena whispered to the group. "I've never seen Alicia-sama this cruel to any of her friends before."

"Ne, Alicia" I broke from the group and stepped forward. I felt really sorry for Caro, crying there like a little girl who just lost her puppy.

Alicia looked at me with a grin that said "Watch this".

"I guess it can't be helped." She walked up to the crying girl and held out her notebook. "We are friends after all..." She smiled, making Caro stop her waterworks. "If you promise to study, I'll let you borrow my notes."

"Eh?" Caro stood up slowly. "Really?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "So you can stop crying now ok?"

"Uwaaaan!" Caro buried her face in Alicia's chest and started crying again.

"There, there." Alicia patted her head like a mother would to their daughter. "Make sure to listen to everything I say from now on, ok?

"Nnnn, I will."

Alicia broke contact and stared at Caro in the eyes. "You will listen to anything I say, correct?"

"Hai."

"Can you swear on it...?" Her red eyes narrowed.

Caro's eyes lost their light, almost as if something had just possessed her. "Hai..."

"That's not how you address me."

"Hai...Master."

"Uwah!" Lena gasped. "She's gotten complete control of Caro-sama!"

"That-that's the legendary mind control technique!" Suzuka followed up.

"I've only heard about it. I never thought I would see anyone use it!" Alisa spoke.

"What the heck are you guys talking about?" I looked at the 3 astonished girls before shaking my head. "Anyway, Alicia-san." I finally managed to find my chance to step in. "I would like to speak to you please."

"Ah, Yagami-san" She looked at me. "What brings you here?"

"Alicia-sama. She said she wanted to talk to you." Lena repeated. It was starting to seem like this girl was some kind of maid, judging from the way she was talking and addressing everyone here.

"Umm can we talk alone for a moment?" I looked around at everyone else.

"D-don't tell me you are going to confess to her!" Suzuka gasped.

"Eh? Is that true?" Alisa turned her head towards me in shock.

"No!" I shot down their thoughts. "Geez. I just wanted to talk about a few things." I sighed as I felt my strength leave me.

"That's how it is." Alicia turned to the others. "I'll see you tomorrow then Alisa, Suzuka." She looked at Caro "Remember to study ok?"

"Hai" Caro responded happily.

"I'll wait by the gate for you then." Lena responded when Alicia turned her gaze to her.

"Thanks." She nodded. "Let's go Yagami-san." She led me to an area just past the gate where we could talk. "What's on your mind?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok." I stated.

"I'm fine... Why, did something happen?" Her eyes became serious as she caught on to my reason for being there.

"Yeah." I nodded. "We have a witness from your sister's school saying that she saw the suspect, Yuuno Scrya, attacking someone that matched your description the other day."

"Eh?"

"Well I know it's not Fate-san seeing as I saw her leave the door of the house this morning. The only other person I know that he could mistake for her would be you-unless you are going to tell me you have a long lost triplet somewhere"

"And if we did?"

"You do?" I gasped. "Why didn't you say so?"

"Ha ha ha!" She pointed at me. "Your expression was classic, I like that."

"Ugh"

"I'm joking. There are only two of us. But as you can see, I am perfectly fine and healthy so I am not the girl that this person saw getting attacked."

"Hmm..." I pondered "Who else could it be? Is there someone else that looks like you two?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "Is there any reason why he would want to attack Fate anyway?"

"I don't know." I confessed. "I just want to bring him in and ask some questions, that's why I am pouncing on ever lead we have. Judging from this last lead though, it seems that he's avoiding us for some reason."

"Sorry, I can't be of any help." She frowned

"Don't worry about it." I smiled. "Want a ride home-Oh you are meeting Takamachi-san again today huh?"

"No. Nanoha said she had something urgent to do today so I am going shopping with Lena." She pointed at the girl waiting at the gate.

"Ah, ok." I looked over. "Don't tell me you are after her too~" I teased.

"Haha, very funny." She glared at me. "She's my maid." She declared almost too proudly.

"Ok, whatever." I rolled my eyes mockingly. "I'll see you around." I waved and headed back to where I parked the car.

"Take care of yourself." She nodded and ran off towards the gate.

"_Well..." _ I said to myself as I got in and buckled up. _"That went nowhere...I guess I am back to square one on that..."_

**~ Interlude ~**

"How are you feeling?" Nanoha asked as she soaked a towel and wrung it. "Has your fever gone down?"

"Eh?" Fate looked around her momentarily, trying to figure out where she was.

"You're at home." Nanoha responded. "You don't remember passing out during class?"

Fate shook her head slowly.

"Shamal-sensei called for a taxi and asked me to take you home. Your fever got incredibly bad around lunchtime."

"I...see." She responded. Whether or not she really comprehended it was another matter.

"Haaaa..." Nanoha sighed. "What the heck were you thinking?" She went into 'Mother' mode. "You knew you weren't feeling well so how come you went to school? Shamal-sensei even said that you didn't look too good this morning and yet you pushed yourself!"

"I'm sorry..." She said softly. "I just wanted to be with everyone. To be with you..."

Nanoha sighed in defeat. "You know I can't get mad if you say it like that..." She leaned in close and brushed Fate's hair.

"I'm sorry Nanoha." She turned to face her friend. "...!" She blushed bright red when she realized Nanoha's face was really close. "I-I want some water!" She turned away quickly to hide her embarrassment.

"Huh?" Nanoha pulled back. "Ok I'll be right back."

"_What the heck are you thinking, baka!"_ Fate kicked herself. "_That is Onee-chan's girlfriend! Why are you acting like this in front of her?"_

Nanoha leaned against the door after she left the room. _"Fate-chan...won__'__t you let me get close to you...?"_ She sighed to herself and went to the kitchen to get a drink. "I guess a bottle of water would be easiest..." She spoke to no one in particular. "It would be the most convenient seeing as it can sit out forever and we don't have to worry about knocking it over." She opened the fridge door and pulled one out before heading back upstairs.

*knock*knock*

"Come on in..." Fate's raspy voice called from the other side of the door.

"I brought you a bottle." Nanoha sat down on the bed. "Want to drink?

"I'll drink it later." Fate curled up.

"Your voice is raspy, Fate-chan. Here drink some water."

"No, I'm ok!" She protested.

"Fate-chan! You need to drink something!"

"I'm fine!" The blond yelled out before coughing for several seconds.

"If you won't drink on your own, then I'll make you!" Nanoha flared, her mind now locked on to a single mission: Make this girl drink water at all costs!

"...?" Fate turned to see Nanoha open the bottle and begin to drink from it. "Wah!" She yelled out as her arms were now pinned to the bed. "Eh? Wha-?" She started to panic as she saw the brunette's face come closer "Wait! Hold on a minute! Ah!" She closed her eyes and shuddered violently before feeling a soft sensation on her lips. Her mouth opened on its own accord and accepted the liquid that was being transferred over.

Several moments passed before she finally swallowed it all and caught her breath. Nanoha withdrew a little bit and looked down at the girl below her. Fate couldn't breathe as her mind tried to process what just happened.

"Ne..." Nanoha broke the silence. "Would you like to drink some more...?"

"No, I'm fine." Fate managed to regain her strength and broke the pin she had on her wrists. She rolled to her side, turning her back to Nanoha. "Thank you, though."

**~ Interlude End~**

"Tadaima!" I called as I entered the house. "Huh?" I looked down and noticed two sets of shoes at the front, noting that someone was here...but no one responded.

"Ah, Yagami-san." Nanoha greeted me from the stairs. "Welcome back."

"Hey." I waved and put my shoes away. "What brings you here?"

"Fate-chan collapsed at school." She looked up the stairs towards the room "Shamal-sensei called a cab and had me bring her home."

"Hnnn~ So this was that 'something important' you left your girlfriend for eh?" I teased. "You know she's going to be mad when she finds out~"

"I know..." Her expression saddened a little. "But I just couldn't break away for some reason. It's like it's more natural for me to be with her than with Alicia."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I plopped on the couch with a drink in my hand.

"Alicia is strong and wonderful. It feels like I am always chasing after her-like I am slowing her down. But with Fate...it seems like I am walking beside her instead."

"So you think Alicia is out of your league."

"It's just...I don't know how to explain it. It just seems natural for me to be with her-I just want to feel _needed _sometimes you know? Right now it just feels like I am always the one doing the needing."

"So what will you do?" I asked, placing my drink on the table and focusing my attention on her.

"I don't know. I really don't"

"You know you'll have to make a choice pretty soon."

"I know."

"Good luck."

"Thanks, Yagami-san."

"Hayate."

"Eh?"

"Call me Hayate. We're friends now aren't we, Nanoha-san?" I smiled.

"Thanks...Hayate-chan."

Our moment of silence was interrupted when my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen and it flashed Vita's name.

"What's going on, Vita?" I answered.

"I was bored at the station so I decided to go through the record files on the Testarossa daughters. I wanted to see if there was any reason for them being separate from each other."

"What did you find?"

"I found a rather interesting file. It concerns the aggressive twin."

"You mean Alicia Testarossa?"

"Yeah." She paused for a moment. "You might want to see this."

"I'm on my way."

"Going out again, Hayate-chan?" Nanoha stood in front of me.

"Yeah. You know how it is." I smiled. "A investigator's work is never finished!"

* * *

_A/N: Sorry again for the late release! Hopefully the next one wont take that long hahaha. I am trying to take things at a decent speed as I have been getting e-mails from some saying its developing too slow and others saying its developing too fast for their tastes x.x I'll try to speed things up a little next chapter if you guys want, see how that works and if its too much then I'll reset and see where it goes. Let me know what you think! I usually say the green link is below, but I think its a button now (not sure what FF net_ _has been doing with their changes and upgrades). Anyway~ I'll see you all again! ^.^_


	16. Season 2 Chapter 5

_A/N: Hey guys! Sorry again for the delay. Hoped you all had a nice Christmas! Well its time to get started again~_

* * *

**Season 2 Chapter 5**

"Begin!" Arf's voice echoed through the area.

Nanoha dashed to her right while Alicia mimicked the move. The two of them began to circle each other while slowly getting closer and closer, setting their range at a comfortable speed.

"Haaa!" Nanoha yelled out as she moved in first and opened with a horizontal strike.

Alicia met the attack and moved the weight of her body to shift Nanoha's center of balance, causing the brunette to lean forward. The two of them got closer and closer as they pushed with their strength against each other's weapons.

"_She__'__s definitely stronger than me, so I should..."_ Nanoha thought to herself before giving her body one sudden push to strengthen the support in her right arm while swinging her left fist towards her opponent's stomach. _"_Hiken_...Gurenken _紅蓮拳 !"

Alicia's eyes widened as her body began to move forward by the lowered resistance and noticed the sneak attack that was coming. She broke contact and twirled her body to avoid the fist while at the same time creating a counter attack of her own.

Nanoha ducked under the swing meant to decapitate her and likewise swung her sword horizontally in an attempt to catch her enemy off guard. The attack would have connected if Alicia hadn't managed to arc her weapon over her shoulder and plunge her sword into the ground vertically, effectively stopping the attack.

"_Tch__!__"_ Nanoha clicked her tongue at the failed attempt and started to thrust her weapon towards the blond's openings, not giving her opponent time to recover her weapon stance_._

"_She__'__s getting good..."_ Alicia smirked to herself in the face of Nanoha's attack. "_Mother has really taught her well"_ she praised the girl in front of her as she began twirling again to block the thrusts. Despite her admiration, she could do nothing but continue her spinning as Nanoha wouldn't give her the chance to regain her stance. Thinking she could use the current momentum to mount an assault, she began to twirl even faster.

Nanoha gritted her teeth in frustration. Even though her attacks were effective at forcing her opponent on the defensive...not a single strike was going through. To compensate for it, she tried to add more speed to her thrusts in hopes of buying time till an opening presented itself.

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed rhythmically, almost as if they were playing a song made just for the two of them.

_"There!"_ Nanoha broke the rhythm. Her eyes told her to feint a thrust and strike again once Alicia was in a bad position to defend. She had been attacking at the same constant speed, so she was able to gauge at which point the defenses would crumble.

"...!" Red eyes narrowed as she noticed the distortion of the rhythmic sounds. She stopped her movement and took a step back, allowing her an extra second to barely block the attack.

Noticing that her opponent had her weight shifted, Nanoha took the opportunity and lunged forward, thrusting her weapon with all her might. This would be the match. Alicia's stance wouldn't allow her the chance to escape Nanoha's full on charge, however...

"?" Nanoha's eyes closed momentarily, blinded by the rays of the sun reflecting of Alicia's weapon. Her speed slowed enough to allow her opponent to roll to the side and regain a fighting stance.

Alicia grit her teeth at the pain coming from her left shoulder caused by the dodge and charged at the recovering Nanoha. The blue-eyed girl raised her defenses and shifted her stance to receive the attack, a grunt escaping her lips as a heavy weight crashed upon her sword.

"Hiken..._Hyakka Ryōran _百花繚乱!" Alicia cried out.

"_W-what is this?" _ Nanoha screamed to herself as Alicia twirled around and around again like she did during her defense, except this time it was being used for the opposite. _"This is the same technique she used against Fate-chan that one time!" _Nanoha could do nothing but block and defend as blond hair twirled faster and faster, adding more weight to each slash that came her way. "_I have to escape or I'm finished."_ she mentally forced her body to jump back and get out of combat range.

Alicia stopped spinning and took a deep breath while regaining her stance. Nanoha used the same time to compose herself and steady her own breathing. The two eyed each other for several moments before Nanoha made the initial move again by lowering her stance, pointing her weapon and leaping forward.

"_She doesn't learn__,__ does she?_" Alicia thought to herself as she held her sword horizontally and once again used her blade to reflect light into Nanoha's eyes. She smiled when her opponent's speed dropped, allowing her to dash forward and leap.

"Kuh!" Nanoha cursed herself mentally for falling for the same trick twice. She didn't have time to recover as she felt an overwhelming hostility coming from above her. She positioned her weapon diagonally across her back and blocked the attack without looking. She turned around her shoulder and readied herself again.

By this time both combatants were fatigued. Both of them were breathing heavily, their weapons rising and lowering in harmonic match with their breath. It was pretty obvious however, that one person's breathing was heavier than the other. They stared at each other for a few more moments before it was Alicia who broke the pause this time.

"_She's going to try to blind me again__.__"_ Nanoha though to herself _"She__'__s going to expect m__e to charge at her as well, so...!"_ She lunged a couple of steps before jumping in the air. She saw Alicia slant her weapon in an attempt to use the blinding trick yet again. _"There!"_ she raised her left arm to shield her eyes from the temporary blinding she expected to happen.

Alicia jumped up to meet Nanoha in the air. Unnoticed by the brunette, she held her weapon in one hand and used it to parry the other sword. Her other arm circled itself under Nanoha's left arm and around the neck. She then twisted her body and used Nanoha's weight against her as she slammed the blue-eyed girl to the ground.

"Guh!" She screamed as she hit the ground, the impact rattled her brain as well as her entire body. Her eyes blurred for several moments as the dizziness began to settle in.

At that instant, Alicia mounted her enemy across the waist and placed her sword on her opponent's neck, keeping it there till Nanoha's vision finally cleared and she realized her position.

"..." Nanoha gave a large sigh. "You got me." she frowned to herself. She raised her hands in surrender.

"Winner, Alicia!" Arf announced as the two got back up. "I'm impressed!" She looked at Nanoha. "I didn't think you had improved this much. Precia-san must have trained you hard."

"I'm amazed myself."Alicia dusted herself off and gathered the two training swords. "You've improved quite a lot in the small amount of time my mother has been teaching you. Your main problem is that you fall for the same trick over and over, and when you finally learn a counter, your opponent already noticed."

"I know..."She sighed. "And it's not like that" She shook her head at Arf. "I still have a long way to go before I can beat Alicia-chan. Even if I had been training everyday during that time, that battle alone should have told you that I'm not ready."

"What are you talking about?" Arf patted her head. "In a year or two you'll be just as good as her - or even better!"

"We'll see about that." Alicia called from the shed where she returned the weapons. "But I do have to admit, it is amazing how well she can match me."

Arf laughed before looking at her watch. "Hey, you two need to go get cleaned up and eat before you head to school, don't want you both being late despite the excellent match you displayed. Get going!"

"Hai!"

**~xX*Xx~**

_"I wonder when it started..._" I thought to myself. "_I wonder how it came to be..."_ I glanced over at the blond walking next to me. _"My mind is telling me this isn__'__t right...this isn't how things should be. But my heart is telling me...that this is how it is supposed to be."_

"Nanoha? Nanoha?" A voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"Eh? Wha-?" I snapped out of my trance.

"You ok?" Fate's face drew closer to mine.

"Uwaaah! I'm fine!" I reeled back when I realized how close her proximity was.

"Are you sure? Your face is really red." She placed her left hand on my forehead and her right on her own. "Hmm you don't seem to be sick, but..."

"I'm ok!" I pulled back a little bit and smiled. "Really I am. I was just...thinking - yeah, that's it! I was thinking about the upcoming exams, that's all."

"That's true," She winced a little. "exams are coming up soon and I haven't really been studying lately."

"That's odd." I gave her a surprised look. "I figured you would have had everything memorized for the next school year."

"Ha ha ha." She genuinely laughed. "I think the only reason I seem that way is because mom and Linith kept drilling things into me all these years." She smiled as she recalled some memories. "Although it is nice not having them around to do that sometimes~"

"Oooh~ so the diligent girl becomes rebellious." I teased

"What, you always viewed me as the diligent type?" She followed up.

"Of course! That's probably why you'll never get yourself another boyfrie-" I cut myself short. "I'm sorry..." That was a horrible thing to say, knowing that a certain incident just happened recently concerning her recent boyfriend.

"That's alright." She smiled back. "I'm moving on from it.

"I see..." I beat myself mentally for ruining the mood. I couldn't think of anything else to say as we continued our last leg of the journey to the school gate. I wished that someone or something would interrupt this awkward silence.

"Heya!" A voice called from behind us.

"Hey!" I called back when I realized who it was. "How are you?" One Yagami Hayate came to my much needed rescue. I felt so relieved that she was here to break the tension that weighed heavily in the air around us.

"Not bad" She threw her arms over our shoulders "I am a little tired but I am ready to go again"

"Did Vita-chan keep you at the station all night?" I looked over at her with a little concern. Not only because I could see small bags under her eyes, but also because I caught half of the conversation she had on the phone regarding Alicia.

"Yeah." She yawned. "We had to go through several reports and dig through the archives."

"What were you searching for?" Fate finally spoke again.

"Oh, nothing." Hayate relaxed her body some more, putting more of her weight on us. "We were just looking at past cases that were similar. Thought it would give us hints, you know?"

"Find anything useful?" I asked as we turned the corner and passed through the gate, knowing full well that she wasn't completely being honest out of concern for the younger sister.

"Just some standard stuff." She replied. "I'll be getting more info later on." She pulled herself up and stretched her arms over her head. "Ah, that felt good. Thanks for the lift, you two~"

"I have to stop by the gym this morning." Fate waved to us. "I promised to help Signum-sensei with a few preparations."

We waved back and continued on our way towards the classroom. I wanted to ask Hayate an incredible amount of questions regarding where she's been and what her conversation with Vita was, but for some reason my thoughts kept wandering to the girl that just left us. I didn't know why, but everytime I try to think of something else, she somehow keeps seeping back.

"'Signum-sensei' huh?" she mused at the thought like a cat who just found another way to tease a mouse. "So, what are you going to do?" she turned her attention to me and broke my train of thought. "Are you going to confess to her?"

"Eh-wh-what?" I jerked both at the sudden completely unexpected question and the thought that she was reading my mind.

"Are you going to confess to her." The question was repeated in a more firm statement-like way to make sure I heard it without error.

"How can I?" I tried to evade. "I already have a girlfriend."

"Are you her girlfriend because you love her or are you her girlfriend because you felt indebted to her?" Her eyes sharpened. "I am asking because of a 'hypothetical' question you asked a while back."

"What are you talking about?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"I know what happened to you, Nanoha-san. Don't think I didnt see through that question of yours either." She opened her shoe locker and swapped her shoes. "So the question stands: Do you love her or are you going out with her just because you feel indebted to her?"

"I..." The bell rang indicating the start of the school day, much to my relief.

"It is none of my business, but as a friend I am asking you to think it over some more." Hayate closed her locker and headed towards the classroom, leaving me there watching her vanish while lost in my thoughts.

**~xX*Xx~**

"_Have I really fallen for her?"_ I asked myself, my thoughts going back to my conversation with Vita-chan a few days before. "_Am I just using Fate as a escape since I feel inadequate being around Alicia?"_ I leaned back on the tree I was sitting under and looked through the leaves towards the sky. "_Is it really like Hayte said? Am I really going out with her just out of gratitude for saving me?_ _I just don__'__t know. How could I know?__ No one ever taught me how to love someone or how to decipher how a relationship goes..."_

"Are you ok?" A voice broke my chain of thought, startling me a little bit.

"Ah, Fate-chan." The person who consumed half my current thoughts came into view. "Yeah, I was just taking a break, that's all. Doing some heavy thinking."

"Oh?" She sat down next to me and joined me at looking at the sky. "What about? Anything I can do to help?"

It was a little awkward talking to her still. It was awkward enough this morning when I made the joke about a boyfriend, especially after what I did when she was sick. God, I hope she doesn't remember it. I could, however, ask her for some advice. I just hope I don't sound like an idiot doing it. I readied myself...

"I am preoccupied with some problems a friend of mine has." I started out slowly.

"What kind?" She asked, not even shifting her gaze.

"Well..." I tried thinking of the proper words. "She is in some kind of relationship with another person right now...but she's started to be attracted to someone else. So she's...now doubting if the relationship she is currently in is the right one. What should she do?"

"Is this friend of yours unhappy in the current relationship?" Her eyes turned towards me once she realized it was a rather serious type of problem.

"It-it's not that!" I turned my gaze away to try to hide my embarassment. "It's just that she is starting to feel inadequate in the relationship and the way this relationship started was through a somewhat...shocking experience, so-"

"So this friend has said 'yes' to a relationship based on some kind of feeling of debt towards their partner for rescuing them in some way?" She finished.

"Exactly."

"And now this friend is starting to have feelings for someone else?"

"Yes."

"Then it's obviously a flat out case of betrayal."

"Geh!" My reaction was one of genuine shock.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." I turned my head and wiped my eyes a little. "Just being told that flat out made me want to cry." I gabbed my chest to try to quelch the peircing truth that I've been trying to avoid all this time.

"Huh?" She looked at me oddly before turning her attention back to the sky. "However..." She started up again after several moments of silence. "If your friend really loves this new person...then she should go for it."

I turned my gaze towards her, my eyes still watering some.

"And" she continued "if her current partner really does love her...they will let her go."

"Fate-chan..." I wiped my eyes clean.

"That is how I feel anyway." She looked back at me and smiled. "I don't know how things will go, but I believe that would be for the best."

"What would..." The words trembled as they escaped my lips. "you think of me if...I were that person?"

"Hmm?" She turned back to me.

"..." I braced myself for her answer. I even looked down at my hands under the pressure of her gaze. I knew I shouldn't have asked that - now she'll know that it was me all along that I was talking about. I might as well just come out clean since shes going to find out any-

"You want to know if my opinion of you would change if you were that person?" She repeated.

"Y-yes..." I responded. "I want to know how I should act and feel around her." I continued almost too readily. I hoped that this would divert attention away from me.

"If you were that person..." She began after a brief thought. "I would feel a little bad for my sister...however, it is your decision and if you truly do feel that you aren't fit for your current situation, then I have no right to stop you." She answered honestly.

"Fate-chan..."

The sound of the bell interupted me as it marked the end of the lunch period. I told them I wanted to eat alone since I had some things to clear up, but all I ended up doing was shuffling things around. I sighed deeply to myself as I packed up my things and followed the girl that occupied my mind back into the classroom. Even when we got there, all I could think about was the conversations I had with others concerning this struggle I've had the past several days.

"_Are you sure you aren__'__t doing this out of a feeling of indebtness? Because if it is...then you are lying not only to her but also to yourself. On top of that you are mocking everything that this relationship stands for." _Hayate's voice came to my mind as I sat through the afternoon lecture. I feel that part of what she said is true, after all I was asked out of the blue and it is true that she saved me so maybe it was.

"_Why are you making things so complicated for yourself? You know what you want right? Just go out there and reach for it!" _ Vita's voice came next. Its not that I am making it complicated...it is just plainly complicated! I don't know how to describe it. It is just complicated on a seemingly natural level! If it was so easy for me to just reach for it, I wouldn't be having this problem in the first place!

"_You do realize that either way you go...someone is going to end up hurt, be it yourself or someone else." _ Signum's voice followed. This was a crushing blow to me, one that brought light into everything I was trying to avoid. I didn't want anyone to get hurt and I tried thinking and thinking and thinking, but there seemed to be no way to get out of this without someone suffering.

"_However...if your friend really loves this new person...then she should go for it."_ Fate's statement flashed across my mind. I wanted to take her advice, but at the same time I was scared of what might happen. I don't want to lose one friend over this and be rejected by another and then end up losing everything.

"Nanoha?" A voice snapped me out of my train of thought.

"Huh?" I looked up at Fate. "What's wrong?"

She gave me a confused look. "You know it's after school right?" She sweat-dropped.

I gave a curious look around. "Ah-" I realized that she was right. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't even hear the announcement of the end of the day.

"Are you ok?" She pulled the chair from the desk in front of mine and turned it around. "You've been spacing out a lot recently." She turned it around and sat down. "What is going on, Nanoha?"

"Nothing!" I tried to stand up but found myself pulled back down to my seat. Red eyes peircing me with cruel, savage intent - at least that's how it felt.

"..."

"I'm just a little tired." I leaned forward and rested my chin on my desk. "I just don't know how to deal with this problem."

"You mean the one we talked about earlier? The one with your friend?"

"Y-yeah" Her statement brought my mind back up to speed. There was absolutely no way in hell I could let her know that I was the one being talked about.

"It's fine." She smiled at me and patted my head. "The fact that you are worrying so much shows how much you care about this friend of yours." She waited for me to raise my head towards her. "That is one thing I like about you, but you don't have to shoulder the responsibilities of your problems all alone, you know. You can always come to me. Even if I am unable to do anything for you, the least I can do is listen to what you have to say."

"...thanks." Was the only thing I could say. Her smile at the end had literally blinded my mind of any other compitent responses. I knew my answer now. I was clear on my path. Thanks to the advice of everyone around me and the girl in front of me. "Thank you..."

I had made up my mind. With the help and advice of everyone around me I had finally decided on a course of action. I know it's going to be painful and will take time to mend the consequences...but if I keep lying to myself, I will only end up alone. I continued to steel my mind and body the rest of the day in preparation for the upcoming moment.

"You have work tonight, right?" She looked at her watch. "We better find Hayate and get going.

"Nnnn" I nodded. "let's go.

**~xX*Xx~**

"Hey, welcome." Raiser greeted me at the door. "So, how was school?"

"Heya!" I entered the cafe. "Not bad. I just didn't listen much to the instructor haha." I confessed.

"Hello, Nanoha." Alavon called out from her usual spot behind the register. "The mistress is waiting for you."

"About time you showed up." Satashi growled at me, her ears twitching a little bit. I swear, those are some really real-like ears that she's always wearing.

"Nice to see you too." I responded and patted her head as she passed by with some plates.

"Are you ok?" Raiser looked up at me while he continued cleaning the cups. "You seem to be a little tired today."

"I'm fine." I smirked. "I just did a lot of thinking and its worn me down." I made my way towards the office. "The mistress is inside right?"

"Yeah, she's in there." Alavon responded without looking at me, her focus more on maintaining her balance to keep herself from falling as she cleaned the light fixture above her post at the registry.

"Thanks." I nodded and opened the door. "Mistress?" I called out.

"Ah, Nanoha." She stood up and welcomed me. "Come in, have a seat."

"Thank you." I responded and sat down.

"I recieved your notice from earlier." She sat down and began. "Are you wanting to resign from work?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"I have no right to stop you, but I do believe I am entitled to an explanation." She shifted her eyes from me to the resignation letter on the left side of her desk.

"I just need a break to gather my thoughts for a little while." I answered. In all honesty I didn't want to worry her by letting her know that I am planning on devoting my time to help Hayate and the others with their investigation. That and I didn't want to have any more stressing issues especially after what I am going to do tonight.

"I see." She responded. I wasn't too sure if she believed me or not, but she didn't press the issue much further. "Will this be permanent or are you going on a leave of absence?"

"I...am not sure." I answered honestly. "I don't know how long I need."

"It seems you have a task that you must accomplish more than you needing a break." She smiled at me, seeing through my ruse. "Ok, I will accept your answers." She leaned back on her seat. "On the condition that you come back and work for us once all this is over."

"Thank you." I smiled back. "Thank you very much."

"Should I tell the others?" She looked past me towards the glass window that separated the office from the main cafe.

"If you don't mind," I started. "would you please tell them after work?" I waited for her nod. "I don't want them to have to worry about it while we are working tonight. It would just be one more unnecessary burden on their minds."

"You really are a nice girl, Nanoha." She sighed deeply. "Its a pity we have to lose you for a while." She exaggerated a sigh.

"Come on," I played along. "you guys survived this long without me, you can live for another while." We both laughed a good bit before we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Mistress." Alicia's voice came through the door before she opened it. "Ah hello, Nanoha."

"Hey." I forced a smile.

"Mistress, we are ready to open." The blond continued her statement.

"Good!" She stood up. "Let's begin!"

"Hai!"

* * *

_A/N: Well thanks again for being patient. I have been slouching over the holidays a little bit hahaha. I hope this will somewhat ease the /rage some of you have been going through XD. So, as a little Christmas present for chu all (I know its late but nya~) I will add a little something-a bonus if you will. The link is below as usual~ Please send me your thoughts! Happy New Years!_

* * *

**~Extra~**

"Hooo!" I huffed as I lugged a large bag of trash out the back door of the cafe. "Jeez, our mistress Raidiant Beam went all out tonight." I took a moment to catch my breath.

"Thanks for the hard work today." Alicia greeted me as she took another bag of trash out with her. "What happened tonight?" She dropped her bag of trash off and came back to recover mine. "It was as if there was a going-away party going on or something." She grabbed my bag and took it to the dumpster. "Things got real crazy in there."

"Yeah...it did." I found myself frowning. I was looking for an oppourtunity all night to speak to her alone like this, but with the usual busy schedule we've had, I barely had time to have a conversation with anyone.

"What's wrong?" She came to my side and stroked my hair. "You look worried about something."

"Alicia..." I gathered my strength and courage. "I've been thinking."

"About what?" She leaned against the wall opposite of me so she could face me directly.

"How would you describe our relationship?" I began.

"Hmm..." She looked up at the stars. "How I would describe it huh? Hmm..." She thought for several moments. "I would say we have a normal relationship. Why do you ask?"

"I just feel like...something is missing."

"What do you mean?" She looked at me, her full attention now locked on to every word I was saying.

"You are a strong and wonderful person. One that I really admire. I just feel like I am really inadequate to be with you."

"What are you saying-"

"I thought about it a lot." I continued on, knowing that my resolve might weaken if I let her say anything. "I realized that my feelings for you all this time were feelings of admiration and thankfullness or the feeling of being indebted to you for saving me from a traumatic experience."

"Nanoha-"

"I didn't realize what these feelings were towards you until...until..." My eyes began to sting.

"...until you found someone else." She quietly finished my sentence.

I began breaking down after she said that. I covered my mouth with both hands to try to contain my sobbing.

"I'm so sorry..." I managed to blurt out. "I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't knew what to do." I managed between sobs. "But I know I couldn't keep lying to you like this - I'm sorry..." I couldn't get any more words out. Only the pain that gripped my heart at having to do this to a close friend of mine filled my very core.

"May I..." She lowered her head till her bangs covered her eyes, her voice trembling as she tried to fight the urge to break down in front of me. "may I...know who it is...at least...?" Her body was shaking as the painfully obvious battle of her emotions versus her self-control raged on.

"I'm so sorry..." I repeated after managing to compose myself a little bit. I didn't want to say it. I truely and honestly prayed deep down that she wouldn't ask that question, but now that she did I couldn't hide it from her. I could lie about it...but she has the right to know. "It's your sister...Fate."


	17. Season 2 Chapter 6

_A/N Hey folks! I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry its taken this long for this chapter to come out, for those of you just reading this story-hello! Well I know you all just want to dive into it for now, so *ahem* Here we go!_

* * *

**~ Season 2 Chapter 6 ~**

"Hmm..." Zafira looked through the remnants of what appeared to be a recently abandoned hideout. There didn't seem to be anything of value or importance left behind as expected, but there were definitely signs that the target had lived here at some point. He took out his flashlight and began to investigate the area. Besides common things like a couple of dishes, some silverware, an old television, and a half broken couch, there was nothing unusual. There should, however, be some clues as to where his target had gone - a small indicator as to where the target could be or if the target has any source of help. The investigator gave a sigh as he knelt down and started to work, he began to probe the floor and look around the couch until a noise came to his ears.

"!" He quickly turned towards the image of the person at the door while readying himself in case the person who returned was indeed his target. "Y-you're-!"

**~xX*Xx~**

"Uwah! This tastes good!" Hayate nodded happily and continued to stuff her face. "Fis sis fweally fweally gewd, Shamalu~!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Vita chastised her from across the table. "But yeah, it is actually good. Where did you get the recipe for this?"

"Ah, Takamachi-san gave it to me when we met at the store one time. It seemed we were both shopping for the same thing."

"Hnnnn~" Hayate answered. "So Nanoha has some good cooking abilities, eh?" Her eyes sparkled. "Maybe I can have her cook for us every once in a while~"

"Hey! That sounded like an insult against my cooking!"

"Now, now, don't fight." I intervened. "I for one am happy we could eat such wonderful food this morning."

"At least someone appreciates my cooking." Shamal glared at a certain person.

"Ok, ok..." She surrendered. "I admit that it is good. I just wished the entire crew could eat it all together."

"Speaking of which," Signum raised her eyes from the newspaper in front of her. "Where is Zafira? He hasn't reported in since yesterday afternoon."

"He's probably busy with another one of his leads." Vita put her pencil down and looked over the crossword puzzle again. "You know how he is, he's always on the chase - much like a hound."

"That's true..." The young leader nibbled her chopsticks a little bit. "but it really is odd that we haven't even heard a single report on what is going on." She frowned.

"He's a big boy." Shamal chimed as she sat down and prepared to eat. "Itadakimasu~" She clasped her hands together. "I'm sure he's fine."

"Well at least he's less troublesome than the twin sisters." She sighed unconsciously.

"Hmm?" I glanced over at Hayate. "Is there something wrong with my sister?"

She looked back at me in silence for a few moments before taking a breath.

"How much do you know about your sister?" She deflected the question. "I mean, what do you know about her?"

"Come to think of it..." I pondered for a moment. "I really don't know much about her aside from what my mom tells me here and there. To be honest, I've only been told very few things. Not to mention the fact that I didn't know she was even living in the same city." I frowned at her. "Except for the memories I had when we were kids, the only way I know what she looks like and everything are because of the pictures that Arf sends us every once in a while."

"I see..." She answered and continued to eat. She reached for her glass and took a sip before clearing her throat. "Did you notice anything in the news? Maybe 3 years ago?"

"Mmmmm..." I racked my memory at the rather random question. "A lot of stuff happened 3 years ago...is there anything in particular?" I gave a crooked smile.

"Do you remember anything about three men being murdered and the assailant never being found? Something about those three men being suspect in a rape crime?"

"Ah!" I responded almost as if a light-bulb turned on. "Yes I do remember that!" I nodded. "I remember that they were found shot to death several times - well shot to death after their bodies were disfigured and all their joints broken. I remember that incident since mom kept warning me not to come home late and avoiding alleyways and whatnot. Yeah, what about it?"

"Do you know who the culprit was?" All action seemed to cease when she asked the question, making the air a bit uncomfortable.

"No..." I responded after racking my brain for a few seconds. "I don't think the news ever released the name. Actually I don't think the police ever found out about it, so it was left as an unsolved mystery."

"I see." She breathed. "Well, it's nothing big, I just wanted to know if you knew anything that could help us out." She smiled and the awkwardness vanished, everyone continued on their usual activity. "I'm trying to see if there is anything we can learn from previous cases, that's all."

"You two need to get going!" Signum finally spoke up and pointed at the clock. "You'll be late!"

"Ah!" Hayate panicked. "Vita, try to establish contact with Zafira if you can." She started issuing out orders while cleaning up her plates. "Signum, check out the other leads that we've found."

"I'll get on it." She nodded. "I don't have any classes scheduled today so I will help Vita out at the station."

"Ok, we're heading out!" I called at the door, moving nonchalantly towards the school.

"Ah! Fate-san! Wait for me!" Hayate's voice came from behind me in an almost whining tone. "Jeez!" She breathed when she finally caught up to me. "You could have waited, it's not like we were going to be late or anything."

"Haha, I'm sorry." I apologized.

"The twins are more troublesome than they should be..." She sighed.

"Hahaha, what is Onee-chan giving you lots of worry as well?" I joked.

"More than you think." Hayate grumbled. "That and she's been acting really 'off' the past couple of days..."

"What do you mean?" I glanced over.

"Oh, nothing." The investigator shook her head. "It's just that she's been spacing out a lot and stuff."

"That's odd." I thought back. "Now that you mention it...Nanoha has been acting strange recently too."

"Eh? Is that so..." She turned her head away as If trying to hide her expression.

"I wonder if they had a fight or something." I felt concerned. "Maybe I should talk to Nanoha about this later on."

"I wouldn't do that." Hayate stopped me almost immediately.

"Why not?"

"Relationships...are delicate." She began. "We are friends with both sides so we have to tread more carefully. Of course we won't leave them alone, but we can't just be going 'to their rescue' every time a problem pops up - I mean, after all...they are the ones in the relationship, not us."

"I know, but-!" She walked in front of me and cut me off with a stare.

"You'll have your chance to ask. That I can guarantee."

"Ok..." I wasn't satisfied with the answer but I knew that she was right. Part of being their friend was being able to know when to let the situation handle itself. Still, though...I couldn't help but worry over what could be going on.

"Come on, let's go" Hayate urged me on towards the central school building. "Can't disregard your schooling just because we're on a case now, right?"

"Yeah," I smiled back. "You're right"

**~xX*Xx~**

"Hey~" I walked over to Nanoha's desk. "It is lunchtime~" I waited for a few moments seeing as she didn't respond "Nanoha?"

"Eh?" She broke out of her trance. "Ah, you're right" She smiled at me. "Where should we go today?" She stood up and stretched her arms above her head.

"Are you ok?" I asked out of concern more than a situational question.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded and picked up her lunch. "I've just been thinking about a lot of stuff recently, that's all."

"Sure looks like it." I gave a crooked smile. "You have been spacing out a lot the past few days - enough so that I wonder if you are even paying attention to the class."

"Nyahaha~" She gave her usual relaxing laugh. "Shall we go? We should get Hayate-chan and meet up at the student council room again."

"Sure~" I nodded and looked at Hayate's direction. I noticed she was talking with Signum and had a very stern expression on her face. "I wonder what's going on..." I asked unconsciously.

"What do you mean?" Nanoha followed me towards the two investigators. "What's new Hayate-chan? Want to come eat lunch with us?" She moved her gaze. "Signum-san also, why don't you join us?"

"I can't." Hayate responded "I have to go. Fate, come with me."

"Wha-?" I blurted out as my wrist was grabbed. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you in the car." She responded.

"Wait!" Nanoha called behind us. "I'm coming too!"

"Hold on!" I stopped the investigator from dragging me further. "What is going on?" My confusion was only getting worse at this point.

"I'll explain in the car." she answered "Nanoha-san, you aren't involved, stay behind."

"What?" She blurted out.

"Hayate!" I forced her attention back to me.

The Interpol agent gave a sigh and massaged her temple for a second before responding. "Look," She pushed me back with the power of her gaze. "your sister's been shot."

**~xX*Xx~**

"How is she?" Hayate asked as Vita walked up to us from the hallway.

"Well-"

"Onee-chan!" I didn't even wait for the response. I bolted into the room and stopped several feet inside because I was stopped by an overwhelming force of hostility. My sister's...friend I guess, stood before me and blocked my way, almost as if I were a threat.

"Alicia!" Nanoha ran in and went past me. "Are you-" She was cut short and her momentum stopped when the one blocking my path slapped her across the face.

"How dare you show your face here..." Her voice was soft and trembling, but the anger and hostility in it made incredibly menacing. "After what you've done...how dare you come here?"

I was stunned. Nanoha was downright paralyzed. She didn't even move at all from the stance she took when she was slapped. I wanted to say something, but I felt that I would be hit incredibly hard if I did anything at all. It took several moments for Nanoha to finally turn her head back and look her assailant in the eyes.

"What's going on here?" Hayate's voice shattered the silence, allowing Nanoha to regain control of her body. She maintained her position at the door and stopped Vita from trying to interfere with what was about to happen.

Nanoha stepped closer towards the bed, ignoring everyone else in the room. She didn't even bother to touch her flaming cheek as she approached her attacker.

"Get away from her, you little-!" Lena drew her arm back in an attempt to land a solid punch this time, but was interrupted when something stopped her arm.

"...will you shut up." Alicia's pained voice came from behind. "Your loud voice is aggravating my headache." She looked up at all of us while her right hand firmly grasped Lena's arm.

"Master!" Lena immediately spun and around and knelt at the bedside, all hostility dispersing from her body. "Master!"

"Did she just call my sister 'Master'?" I unknowingly whispered to myself. I shook the question away and stepped forward. "Onee-chan..." I approached slowly. "How do you feel?" I asked out of reflex.

"Like I've been shot..." She said with a crooked smile, effectively breaking the tension in the air.

"Ah, you've regained consciousness!" The nurse stated as she came through the door. "Would everyone please wait outside? I have to check on the patient."

Everyone slowly moved towards the door, everyone except Lena that is. It seemed like she was waiting for the order to leave or something. I watched for a few moments and moved outside towards Hayate once the girl came my way.

"So what happened?" The investigator asked.

"It's your fault!" She snapped at Nanoha, who reflexively moved back.

"Hey!" Vita stepped in between them. "We'll deal with who's fault it is later. Calm down and tell us exactly what happened."

The girl took a deep breath and sat down and the rest of us followed suit.

"Fate." Hayate looked at me. "Take Nanoha with you and go buy is some drinks will you?"

"Eh?" I glanced over in confusion. "But I want to hear it too!"

Hayate then shot me a look that said. "This isn't for your sake, it's for Nanoha".

"Here." Vita handed me some money. "While you are at it, get yourselves something, ok?"

"Ok..." I took the money. "Come on, Nanoha." I lightly grasped her hand. "Let them worry about it."

"Hai..."

**~ Interlude ~**

"So what happened?" Hayate sat down with Vita and Lena. "I don't know how much Alicia-san has told you, but we're here to help. Please...tell us what happened."

"We want to catch this guy" Vita added. "Testarossa-san is our friend too."

"Ok..." Lena nodded after a few moments. "This is what happened..."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Master...Master..." Lena's voice snapped her out of her daze. "Master, what's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Sorry to worry you." Alicia smiled back.

"You've been zoning out a lot recently. You've almost been hit by several cars because you walked onto the road while the light was red."

"Did I now...sorry."

"What's wrong with you?" Lena stepped in front. "What happened?"

"It's nothing." The blond tried to circle around only to find her way obstructed.

"I'm not letting you take one step further until you tell me." The brunette stood her ground despite that fact that her body was shaking in fear. "Look, I'm concerned, ok? I won't interfere in any way, I promise. I just...want to know what's going on."

Alicia gave a deep sigh. "Fine..." She answered, much to the other's joy. "Nanoha and I broke up, that's all - well more like I got dumped."

"What? Why?" Shock and disbelief evident in her voice. She even took a step back as if not wanting to process the information.

Knowing that her companion wouldn't stop asking, Alicia decided that it would be in her best interest to answer...even if she didn't want to. "She felt...inadequate around me." She sighed. "She said that she wasn't sure what her feelings were either until..."

"Until?"

"Until she fell in love with someone else..." The blond finished.

"Who was it...?" Lena was almost scared to ask.

"It's my twin sister..." Alicia looked her in the eyes. "Fate"

"What?" her companion screamed out "She left you for your sister?"

"Well isn't that just peachy..." A voice interrupted them.

"You..." Alicia's eyes widened. "Scrya..."

"Indeed...Alicia Testarossa" Yuuno grinned. "I have a proposal for you, one that would benefit us both."

"I have nothing to say to you." The red-eyed girl shook her head.

"You can help me...or die." His grin became bigger.

"So you resort to threats? No wonder my sister dumped you." She laughed. "If you can't get what you want, you resort to force. How typical of a weak man."

"What about you?" Yuuno countered. "You lost the person you loved to your sister of all people! This is rich!" He threw his head back and laughed.

"Kuh!" Alicia grit her teeth, her hands clenched and ready to clobber the guy in front of her.

"Just admit it!" He pointed at her. "You are too weak to give her up!"

"!" Alicia's eyes widened, her body stunned by his words.

"Master! Don't listen to him!" Lena finally spoke up, but her words just wouldn't get through.

"Yeah...that's right." Yuuno continued, a large smile plastered across his face "You're the type whose been alone all their lives. Then when you find someone that shows interest in you, you can't let go." He laughed. "Now all you are doing is blaming yourself for failing to keep the one person that probably ever loved you! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

"That's enough!" Lena yelled out.

"Well...I'll get to her anyway." He pulled a gun out from under his jacket and pointed it at the still-stunned Alicia. "I'll just be sending you ahead."

**~xX*Xx~**

"I tried to push her out of the way but she ended up getting in front of me and taking the hit..." Lena finished. "When we landed, I saw blood coming from her head - I thought she was dead."

"I see..." Hayate grimaced.

"Indeed she's lucky to be alive." The doctor came and spoke to us.

"Can I go see her?" Lena asked.

"Indeed you may." The doctor nodded and stepped aside, allowing the girl to run back into the room.

**~ Interlude End~**

"Look, the doctor is there." I pointed towards Hayate and the others as we walked down the hallway. "Seems like they are finished."

"Nnn~" Nanoha responded.

"That body armor she was wearing saved her life." The doctor spoke. "But barely." He looked at the report. "Had she been shot one more time, it would have penetrated the armor and possibly hit a major organ."

"What? Why was she wearing body armor?" I couldn't help but ask, both shock and relief flowing through me at the same time.

"It's because I told her to." Hayate answered. "I suspected something like this would happen so I forced her to wear it whenever she was out and about." She sighed. "I don't want to tell her 'I told you so', but there is nothing else I can say that would deliver the message."

"It's all my fault..." Nanoha began to shake. "It's all my fault isn't it?"

"Nanoha?" I looked at her. "What's wrong?" I grabbed her shoulders to stabilize her. "Nanoha!"

"It's my fault! It's my fault! It's my fault!" She kept screaming in hysteria as she dropped to her knees.

"Nanoha! Control yourself!" I yelled back, trying desperately to calm the frantic girl.

"Vita!" Hayate ordered.

"Hai!" The agent responded and moved behind Nanoha...and knocked the girl unconscious.

"Nanoha!" I grabbed her as she crumpled in my arms "Vita-san!" I called out to chastise her, but was silenced by her stare. I looked around and noticed that everyone in the area was staring at us. I sighed in thanks towards Vita and asked the nurse for a spare room to place Nanoha in.

"I'm back." Signum joined us once I had gotten back putting Nanoha on the bed. "I spoke with several people around the scene. There were several witnesses that heard the gunfire, but only one of them actually saw someone running away from the scene." She turned her attention to me. "They confirmed that the person seen was indeed our target, Yuuno Scrya."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "No...How? Why?" I looked at Hayate, then Vita, then back to Signum. "Why would he do that?" I grabbed Signum's coat. "Am I not the one he's after? Why would he go after her!"

"That is what we are here to figure out." Hayate answered after a brief moment. "But it could be as simple as a case of mistaken identity." Her eyes narrowed. "In any case. I want to talk with Alicia some more, you better go home. Classes are almost over anyway."

"But-!"

"Vita will take Nanoha home when she awakens." She cut me off and turned to the redhead. "In the meantime I want you to reestablish contact with Zafira." She turned her attention back to me. "Signum will take you back to the house. I will stay here and get what other information I can from Alicia."

"Come on, Testarossa." Signum tilted her head towards the lobby. "Let's go."

**~xX*Xx~**

The drive home was rather silent. I did nothing but think about everything that's happened, what could happen, why it happened, and just the total gravity of the situation now. Yuuno is dangerous - that much is for certain. If he is willing to go so far as to try and kill Alicia, I can only imagine how far he's going to go to come after me.

"Don't over-think it." Signum stated out of the blue.

"Huh?" I glanced at her and noticed that she wasn't even looking at me or paying any kind of attention to me.

"You're acting like you have a lot on your mind." She answered.

"Of course I do!" I responded. "My sister just got shot by the same person who is after me - and more than likely wanting to kill me if he went so far as to shoot her, we have no idea where he is, we don't know if he's backed by a criminal organization like you all have been saying, and we don't know how far hes going to go to get to me!" I managed to blurt out in frustration.

"You seem to forget" Signum sent a glance my way. "that you have others with you. You aren't alone in this endeavor." She looked over her shoulder to switch lanes. "Trying to take on everything on your own will eventually overwhelm even the strongest of people."

"I know, but...what can I do?" I sighed. "I'm just a normal girl - I don't have the resources and intelligence Hayate has, I don't have the strength and experience my sister has, I can't even cook like Nanoha can - I don't know what I can do!"

Signum chucked, something that I though was rather rare seeing as she rarely showed her emotions.

"What?"

"You worry just like everyone else." She responded as she pulled into our driveway and shut off the car. "Just understand, that you aren't the only one worrying about those things." She got out and stretched her arms over her head. "Testarossa," She turned to face me. "I'm going to take a bath. Want to join me?"

"Eh?" I jumped back a bit.

"I'm joking" She stated without a change in her expression. "Have you calmed down now?"

"Jeez..." I breathed out. "Don't say such scary things with a face like that - it almost gave me a heart attack." I sighed.

"Do what you can." She continued. "Let others worry with you. Understand that you aren't in this alone."

"You're right..." I smiled. "Thanks Signum-san."

**~xX*Xx~**

I tossed and turned on my bed, unable to sleep. I stretched my arm out and reached for the clock, only to find out that it was 2:37 am. I groaned at myself and rolled over to look out the window. Way too many things happened today - too many that I can't even begin to puzzle them together to make any decent picture. I haven't seen Nanoha the rest of the day - I wonder if she was all right. I had several things to ask her, but that was just not the place in time.

*Beep*Beep*Beep* My phone started going off. I looked at it oddly before glancing at the name that flashed across its screen. My eyes widened when I realized it who was; Nanoha...the very person I was thinking of. I wonder what she wanted at this hour.

"Hello?" I greeted like normal, trying to hide my anticipation. "Are you ok, Nanoha?"

"Fate-chan..." She responded after several moments in silence. "I'm sorry for calling you at this time..."

"No! No problems at all!" I jumped in hurriedly, I didn't want her to feel like she was bothering me when I was clearly thinking of calling her myself.

"I'm so sorry about what happened with Alicia." She began again.

"What are you talking about Nanoha?" I held the phone tightly to my ear, wanting to make sure I heard everything she had to say.

"I spoke with Hayate-chan on the way home. I asked her to explain the situation and why Lena-san was so mad with me." She paused "And it's because..."

I held my breath, the moments of silence seemed to take an eternity - like I was in some sort of horror movie waiting for a killer to strike.

"It was my fault." Her voice sounded painful. "It was all my fault, Alicia was spacing out and not paying attention to her surroundings because of me."

"What do you mean, Nanoha?" I racked my brain, trying to make sense of what she was saying. "How is it your fault? What did you do?"

"I...I broke up with your sister." Came the answer.

"!" I was stunned. I held the phone to my ear like a statue, my breath froze in what seemed like hours. Nanoha broke up with her? How? Why? The questions were right there but I couldn't get them voiced.

"I broke up with her because..."She stated up again after a few moments.

"...because what?" I managed to squeak out with the ragged control of my breath.

"...because I fell in love with you and-"

*Beep* I pressed the off button on the phone. I tossed the phone over the side of the bed, pulled the covers over my head and went to sleep.

* * *

_A/N: *stretches* well that ends yet another chapter hehehe. Again I am so sorry that this took so long, just lots of things going on with life and you know. Hope you guys enjoyed, the link is below like normal. Send me your comments, complaints, concerns, and issues ^.^_

* * *

**~ Extra ~**

"Are you sure this report is accurate?" Hayate dropped the last part of it on the table

"I am sure" Vita nodded. "It was in a old archived folder kept hidden from the view of most of the people in the force-probably under the authority of Precia Testarossa." She looked down at it "I am pretty sure that even the hospital was forced into silence about this one. Which goes to show you how frightening her power is."

"What a cruel twist of fate..." Hayate massaged her temple. "This does explain a lot of things. The first report you told me about only spoke of the murder. This report..." she glanced at what she had just read "Is the missing piece of the puzzle"

"What will you do?" Vita looked up

"What can I do...I'll be stepping on a massive land mine, but I have to ask her." she steeled herself. "For her sake as well as Nanoha's, I have to ask Alicia if she killed those men."


	18. Season 2 Chapter 7

_A/N: Hey guys~ Thanks for the patience and support you've provided in the long journey of this story especially during the times where I've been busy and everything T.T Anyway! here we go again!_

* * *

**~ Season 2 Chapter 7 ~**

"Hmmmm..." Signum walked though an old building, flashlight in hand. "That's odd..." She looked at her report again. "It says that this was Zafira's last known location, but..." She took out her flashlight and began to shine it around the area. She continued looking through the darkness, trying to encompass everything she could about the area-the ceiling, the walls, the doorways, the halls. She treaded carefully in case there was indeed someone there, but then released her guard a little once she didn't feel any presences nearby. The agent gave a little sigh and took another step forward, but raised her guard again when she felt something strike her leg.

"What is this?" She pointed the flashlight towards the object and her eyes widened.

**~xX*Xx~**

"Oi, Hayate" Vita's voice cracked through my dreams. "Hey wake up. You have to go to school."

"Ugh, is it that time already?" I held my throbbing head. "I just went to sleep like a few minutes ago..." I complained.

"Well, that is your fault." Vita responded and pulled the sheets out from over me. "Now get going and get your partner up. She is lagging behind too."

"Auuugh~" I held my throbbing head as I made my way to Fate's room. "Fate-chan?" I knocked on the door "Ne, Fate-chan" I reached for the handle and opened it. "Come on if you are awake at least answer" I complained while dragging my feet to her bed and plopping down right on it.

She didn't move at all. If anything I would have said she wasn't even breathing. I reached over and poked her to get a response.

"Ne." I spoke up again, this time getting a response in the form of movement. "Oh good, you are a-what the hell!" I jumped back wide awake when I saw her face. "What happened to you?" I leaned in closer. Her face looked like she had the life drained out of her, her eyes were even redder than before and she looked like she had been depleted of all energy.

"Good morning." She responded normally.

"Did you sleep last night?" I touched her forehead to check if she had a fever.

"Yeah, I slept very well." She stated.

"What happened?" I asked again.

"Nothing..." She responded, her face being the way it was, said otherwise.

"Ok, you are staying home today." I ordered. "Shamal!" I yelled over my shoulder. "Take care of Fate-chan today. She's not to leave her bed. She looks like someone literally sucked the blood out of her."

"What do you-whoa!" Shamal stated when she entered the room. "Ok, I shall put in for a replacement today." She nodded and went to the phone.

"I'll skip school as well." I stated to Vita. "I am going to visit the other sister to clear up some things on _that_ situation."

"I see..." Vita responded. "I understand it's hardly relevant to the current case, but..." She added in a whisper.

"Sleep." I told Fate. "I'm putting you under house arrest." I turned to Shamal. "You have permission to use any means necessary-including stun weapons-to keep her in bed."

"That's a bit extreme." Fate chuckled.

"If you are anything like your sister, it's necessary." I smirked back. "Ok, I'm off to the hospital."

~xX*Xx~

"Good morning!" I greeted as I entered Alicia's room. As usual, her...escort, I guess, was there near the bed, awaiting the next command. "How are you feeling?"

"Good morning." The two of them responded.

"I'm doing better." Alicia continued. "The doctors say I can leave here in a couple days. I told them I am fine, but they want to make sure everything is ok."

"That's good." I smiled at her recovery, before steeling myself for the next statement. "Alicia." I began "I would like to speak to you in private about a few matters."

The blond's eyes narrowed at the tone of my comment. She turned her attention to her escort and nodded. "Go to school." She ordered. "You can come back afterwards. Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere."

"Understood, master." She picked up her bags and went to the exit. "Excuse me." She bowed and left the room.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Well, for starters, I wanted to talk about that girl." I looked over my shoulder at the door. "Do you think we can trust her with everything that is going on?"

"She is already involved, Hayate-san" Alicia answered. "Although I would rather she wasn't, she already is in too deep to be uninvolved. Besides," She grinned. "it's not bad having someone around."

"How did you two meet up anyway? And why is she calling you 'Master'?"

"Well, we met up at school. As to why she is calling me Master though...that's a different story."

"What happened?" The comment piqued my curiosity.

"Well..."

**~ Memory ~**

"Why are you following me?" Alicia turned around to confront the girl behind her. "Is there something you needed?"

"I'm just a big fan of yours and..." The girl replied in a rather shy tone.

"I know, you explained it all to me during our little session earlier." She crossed her arms. "That doesn't explain why you are currently following me, though."

"Please..." The blue-eyed girl pleaded. "Let me stay with you. I promise I won't get in your way and I'll even do anything you want! I swear! Anything at all!"

"Do you have any idea about what you are saying?" Alicia chastised. "You are basically throwing your life away following me and for a very stupid reason." She shook her head. "Go home. Your family is probably waiting for you."

"I don't have a family..." Lena responded. "They all died and I am all that's left."

"I'm sorry."

"No, there is nothing for you to apologize for." She wiped her eyes a little bit. "I just thought that if I could be near you, I could learn to become stronger." Lena looked down. "I guess I'm just a bother to you with my selfish request. I'm sorry for wasting your time." She turned to leave.

"Wait." Alicia sighed. "Understand that if you are with me, your life might be in danger. Understand that you will be placing your life in my hands and that I might be the cause of your death someday."

"That doesn't matter!" Lena stepped forward. "If I can become stronger through those trials, then I'll gladly give you my life."

"Now I know you're crazy..." The red-eyed girl stated calmly, though in her mind she was astonished at this girl's dedication.

"Would you like to make a contract or something to prove it?" Lena asked, breaking the other girl from her train of thought.

"No, that won't be necessary but..." Alicia blushed a little. "There was something I always wanted to try as a kid."

"What is it?" She tilted her head.

"It's nothing!" The blond spun around to hide her embarrassment.

"Tell me, please?"

"It is something I saw on TV once while I was growing up. I thought it was an awesome way to make a contract with someone and I wanted to try it once-but that's when I was a kid, though."

"Would you like to try it with me?"

"Are you sure about this? It's kind of silly."

"Please."

"Alright." Alicia took a deep breath. "Would you kneel before me?"

Lena nodded and knelt down on one knee before lowering her head much like an old knight of the court kneeling before their king.

"_I hereby propose..._ " Alicia began, stretching her right arm out towards the kneeling girl.

"_Thou shalt come under my command, and thy sword shall control my fate. _

_Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if thou accedest to this will and reason, answer me! _

_I hereby swear: I am all that is good in the eternal world. I am the disposer of evil in the eternal world. _

_Thou clad with the great trinity, come forth from the circle of constraint. Guardian of the heavens!_

_Accedest to me, and my fate shall become thy sword!"_

Lena raised her head slowly to meet Alicia's eyes. "I accept you as my master. Call when you need of me. Ask what you would of me. My sword. My service. Are yours."

"H-how did you-?" Alicia was taken aback.

"I watched that show too when I was a kid, you know." She stuck her tongue out. "Come on!" She grabbed the now embarrassed girl's arm. "I know a good crepe stand. Let's go...Master."

**~ Memory End~**

"That's quite the dramatic relationship there." I chuckled a little bit.

"Yeah, I know it was childish and everything." Alicia admitted. "But hey, I wanted to try it once in my life."

"So you are sure we can trust her." I repeated.

"Yes. I am sure we can." She responded with conviction.

"Well, she isn't here right now and she isn't the main reason I have come." I prepared the atmosphere for the main topic. "Alicia Testarossa." I stated after a pause "I want to ask you about this case file." I put a folder labeled "DL-6" on the bed.

She took one glance at the folder and immediately turned away. She reached for a small wooden box on the table next to her and placed it on her lap.

My eyes widened when she opened it. Inside was a beautifully crafted weapon, one that I was almost certain was custom built. However the fact that it was a weapon still registered as "lethal" in my mind so I found myself slowly reaching for my sidearm under my jacket.

"This..." She began. "was my father's weapon." She raised the Colt .45 carefully from its resting place. "It's custom built so it is the only one of its kind in the world." She declared proudly, never taking her eyes off it. "As far as I know, there have only been three people who have ever fired this weapon and it is one of two mementos that I have of him."

"What's the other one?" I tried to sound relaxed, calming my breathing down while slowly retrieving my hand.

"It's my father's sword which I keep at the house at all times." She placed the gun back carefully in it's case and closed the lid. "This one is easier to carry around."

"Which brings me back to the DL-6 incident." My eyes narrowed, noticing my chance. "I am trying to understand everyone, but you are too much of an enigma." I played my hand. "I want to know that I can trust you, that's why I had to dig up everything I could." I straightened myself in my seat. "Alicia," I waited till she made eye contact with me. "Did you kill these three people in the DL-6 incident?"

"Yes." She stated calmly and squarely, so much so that I was taken aback at the amount of certainty she had in her answer.

"Why?" I forced the question out.

"Revenge." She answered plainly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"If it was something as simple as 'revenge' then this file wouldn't have been hidden away so well." I countered. "What happened...?"

"What relevance does it have to what is going on now?" She turned away, uninterested.

"After what he did to you, I don't want you to go off killing Yuuno Scrya. We _need_ him alive." I fired off. "I want to know that I can trust you to _not_ kill him if you somehow happen to see him somewhere." I opened the case file. "That and I need to know the extent of your injuries as well." I flipped through several pages. "It says here that you were hospitalized for some major surgery or something several months before this incident, but all record of it was destroyed. There are no records of you ever being in the hospital at all." I flipped to the last page. "It also says that there were 4 confirmed bodies that time." I noticed her flinch a little. "But there were only 3 names listed." I finished.

"You've done your homework" She turned back to face me. "But are you really prepared to know what happened?" She challenged me.

For a moment I thought I was facing directly at the stare of a really furious dragon. My mouth went dry momentarily and my mind blanked. I quickly regained my composure and tried to push back the pressure I was receiving.

"Yes." I nodded. "I want to know." I opened the case file once again. "What happened three years ago?"

"The case started almost a year before that incident." She looked at the folder in my hands before turning her head out the window. "It was the day before my 14th birthday." She began again. "I had gone shopping and stayed a little later than I should have. I had gotten the groceries I needed and looked at my watch. Noticing that I would be late heading home, I ran through some alleyways in hopes of getting some shortcuts." She chuckled at herself. "I had ran these same alleyways during the day time numerous times, so I figured 'why not?' it should be the same thing. Should be safe and quick. Boy was I wrong."

"What happened?" I closed the file and focused all my attention on her.

"Three boys-can't remember if they were merely teenagers at the time or adults already-but nonetheless there were three of them. They jumped me in the alley, pinned me to the ground, ripped my clothes to pieces and brutally raped me."

"..." I opened my mouth to say 'I'm sorry' but I felt like I would just be making the situation worse by making it seem like it was someone else's problem. I decided to be just what I was-a listener and listen to her tell her tale.

"It felt like forever while they were doing it, but I'm sure the whole incident lasted only a few minutes." She leaned back against the wall behind her. "It took me another ten minutes afterward to pick myself and assess the situation, but the only assessment I really needed to do was to figure out where I was and how I would get home." A frown settled on her face as she turned her gaze outside. "My mother and Lindy Harlaown rushed to the house after I called and checked up on me. Lindy filed a report while my mother took me to the hospital." She turned her gaze back to me "That was when that case started."

"I see." Were the only words that I judged appropriate at the time. I had mixed emotions on the topic but I had to maintain professionalism. "How did this case evolve then?" I continued after a brief moment. "How did that incident link up to this file?"

"Those three names you read there..." She pointed at the folder. "are the very same 3 guys that did it to me."

"So you hunted them down and killed them in revenge?"

"No, I just so happened to run into them. But I did kill them in revenge...just not for what happened before." She grit her teeth while she recalled what happened. "They recognized me and jumped me again-this time one of them had a decently sized knife that he used for intimidation."

"So they raped you again?" I almost bit my own tongue saying that, but I had to confirm everything.

"Yes."

"And you killed all 3 of them afterwards?"

"Yes."

"It says there were 4 people dead but it lists only 3 names-"

"That last person is the reason I killed the other three." She cut me off.

"So you killed those three because they killed someone else?" I tried to put the pieces together.

"It wasn't just someone else, Agent Yagami!" She slammed her fist onto the bed rail, making me jump back a little. Rage filling her eyes. "They killed my _daughter!"_

I couldn't respond for over a full minute. I sat there, staring at her with my mouth open. I just could not process what she had just said. When my mind finally came back to normal, a strong sense of exhaustion washed over me.

"You...had a daughter?" I whispered in response.

"Mom took me out of school for a while and transferred me-not to protect herself or her name or career-but to protect me." She sighed. "I was devastated when I found out I had a child. I was completely not ready for the responsibility. I was only 14 for god's sakes! How was I supposed to handle all this?"

I opened my mouth to say something but decided to shut up and let her vent since the question had more impact and required more delicacy than I could provide.

"The doctor had suggested an abortion. I knew that was a hard decision for him to make. He was thinking about the lives of two people and their futures." She smiled a little. "He was doing his job and wanted to present all the options for us."

"You decided against it?" I finally spoke again.

"I was too stunned to reply-too scared even." She responded. "My mother looked at me and told me that raising a child was a great responsibility-one not to be taken lightly. She said she would leave the choice to me-the mother-and that she would back up whatever decision I decided on."

"That's when she took you out of your school." I deduced.

She nodded in acknowledgment.

"How did you bring yourself to make that decision?"

"I went to my father's gave." She answered. "I told him everything that happened and everything that could happen. I must have been so desperate for an answer from him," She chuckled to herself. "that I found myself reciting something I asked my father to say for me once when I was a child. I must have been so delusional at that point that I imagined his voice, but come to find out it was my mother who was saying it." She paused and reflected on that memory.

"So after that you decided to have the child?"

"Yes." She nodded slowly. "It was a painful and frightening experience, but I decided to have it for the sake of new life."

"So when this incident happened..."

"Yes." My suspicion was confirmed. "One of them that attacked me again was the father."

"And you still killed him?"

"I took the baby with me to go buy some food for the day." she dodged the question "It didn't look odd at all when I was pushing the stroller, people just thought I was babysitting for someone." She sighed. "I was looking at the list of things I was going to get when I got roughly pulled into an alley. When I figured out what was happening, I recognized the three of them-and apparently they recognized me as well."

"So they raped you again." I frowned

"They were about to do it when the baby started crying from the cart. The man with the knife got mad and kicked the stroller hard. When the baby wouldn't stop crying he got pissed and threw it across the alley while the other two continued to hold me down."

"Did the baby die then?"

"No." She shook her head. "It was still crying a bit but it sounded as if it was suffocating." Rage began to show in her face. "The one with the knife came back and wanted to continue. The second guy also got mad at the baby and released my right side to pick up an empty can and threw it at her." She gritted her teeth. "When it hit the baby I could have sworn I heard a crack. I went blind with rage then and when I came to, I had a knife in my hand while Lindy Harlaown, a Lieutenant at the time, was checking my vitals and making sure I wasn't hurt."

"So you don't remember much of what happened?"

She shook her head.

"But you are sure you killed them."

She nodded.

"Is that why this case was never filed?" I closed it and looked at a dusty corner of the folder.

"The case was never filed in order to protect me." She turned her gaze outside. "The record of me being in the hospital for a week was also never filed." She admitted. "My mother, along with Lindy, worked together to ensure that I would at least have a decent continuance of life despite its shattered remains."

"I'm sorry..." I didn't stop it this time. I truly did feel sorry for the one sitting before me. I also felt amazed at how strong her mental will was, to be able to continue on despite everything that has scarred her for life. I may have gotten way over my head on this one. "Alicia-"

"Excuse me..." A soft voice interrupted me from the other side of the door, a knock accompanying it.

"What is it?" Alicia responded.

The door opened. "The doctor is here to check up on you."

"I see." She nodded then turned to me. "Looks like our time is up, Agent Yagami." She handed me the papers on her lap. "Let's hope this incident never gets brought up again."

I carefully fixed the folder and put it away in my bag before standing up and heading towards the door. I didn't have time to bid farewell due to the doctor and nurse already taking up her attention. I gazed back once more at the girl sitting on the bed. She is strong mentally and physically...but her heart is weak.

*beep*beep*beep* My phone notified me of an incoming call. I moved down the hall towards an empty section of the hospital wing before answering.

"Yes?" I responded into the cellphone.

"Aruji..." Signum's voice came from the device. "I found him."

"Good." I sighed. "Tell him we need him at the station to figure out-"

"He won't be able to do anything anymore."

"What do you mean?" My hand began to shake. I knew what she meant, but I didn't want to believe it.

"I'm sorry, Aruji. He's been shot."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Report!" Was the first thing out of my mouth when I arrived at the scene, I walked past all the police and EMT personnel that were there without a care for what they were doing.

"Hey! You can't be-!" A patrolman walked up to me with the intention of kicking me out of the scene but was silenced immediately when I raised the barrel of my sidearm to his face without even looking or giving him any acknowledgment.

"What happened?" I continued my conversation with Signum and lowered my left arm once the patrolman backed away.

"He was shot in the heart." Signum responded as if nothing had happened, nodding to the patrolman that it was ok for me to be here. "There didn't seem to be any kind of struggle either-he was killed without the chance to retaliate."

"Was he sniped?" I grit my teeth in anger, my question seething through my teeth.

"No, he was shot from a couple meters away, according to the reports so far."

"Witnesses?"

"None. Although some of the kids playing in the park not too far from here saw someone they claimed was walking around suspiciously while wearing a trench-coat." She looked at her notepad. "Said the person had blond hair."

"Yuuno Scrya." I was starting to hate that name. It seemed like whenever there was trouble, his name came up.

"There is still something wrong with this scene." Signum spoke up again after surveying the area.

"What's that?" I tried to calm down.

"Zafira is a trained agent. He wouldn't die so easily." Her gaze turned to me. "Something else came into play here." She narrowed her eyes. "Yuuno Scrya might have help."

"Hrrng..." I clenched my fist.

"The estimated time of death was a couple of days ago, but we won't know for certain until the autopsy gets conducted."

"First Zafira gets killed, then Alicia nearly gets killed. Who is next?" I began thinking. "If anything else, Nanoha might be next-if he doesn't realize that Alicia is still alive and comes back to finish her off."

"Maybe that's what we should do" Signum responded as we walked towards her car. "Maybe we do need to let him think Alicia Testarossa is dead."

"What do you mean?" I tilted my head.

"If we allow the local news to say that a girl was found shot to death in the area that girl was shot, then Scrya would think that he killed his target and move on to Takamachi as his new objective." She explained. "That would save both Testarossa daughters some headache and we can concentrate our defenses around one person."

"What if he decides to go after Fate?" I countered.

"That is also possible, but judging by the turn of events, he is going to save her for last. He wants to push her into despair first and then finish her off."

"That doesn't explain why Zafira got shot."

"Zafira was a victim of circumstance." Signum shook her head. "I don't think it was in his plan at all to run into one of us, but the proposal he made to Alicia is the basis for my theory. We can also make use of her abilities, since she's 'dead', she can easily move about under the guise of her sister."

"You mean to use her as bait even though she just got shot?" I was amazed at the proposal.

"Isn't that what you've been planning all along?" My partner looked at me like I was crazy.

I didn't want to admit it, but that was what I had in mind. I had planned to make use of Alicia's abilities in order to help locate and catch Yuuno Scrya. She knows her way around since she was trained by her mother and she is the identical twin of our main objective...

"Yes." I admitted, half in shame, half in guilt. "I think her abilities will be very useful in this case. However, I don't know if she will agree."

"The worst she can do is say 'No' to the situation." Signum crossed her arms. "But I think she would be more than willing to help us, if just for revenge."

"How do you know she's that type of person?" I questioned.

"She seems to have an aura of Justice around her." Came the response. "Granted, it may be Justice based on her views, but she strikes me as the type who might become Justice itself."

"The line between Justice and Revenge is very thin, you know." I frowned. "Even if she calls it that, if she ends up killing him, its nothing but revenge-since there is no Justice in murder." I felt anger swelling up within me once again.

"I'll handle the scene and give you the report later." She noted my frustration. "You go ask the other Testarossa if she is willing to aid us in this endeavor." She patted my head. "Please understand." She spoke again after several moments. "I am just as furious about this as you are. However, this isn't the time for tears-especially when there are more lives on the line."

"You're right." I nodded to the senior agent. "We have to catch him first. We can mourn later." I strengthened my resolve. "Handle everything here and report back to us later."

"Hai."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Alicia Testarossa." I called as I entered the room, interrupting the conversation between the two girls present. "I'd like to ask with your help in the investigation. I have a few plans that would make things easier for you to work, but its going to hurt you socially for a little while." I stopped since her assistant was still in the room.

"Lena." The blond nodded to her friend.

The other girl bowed and walked out the door without any complaints or objections-something I found rather interesting in terms of what kind of friendship these two have.

"What did you need from me?" She continued once Lena left the room.

"I want you to join us in this. I want you to be your sister around town or wherever you need to be in order to help us catch Yuuno Scrya."

"And you meant that I would be socially hurt in the fact that I am supposed to be dead."

"Yes." I nodded. "I believe that if Yuuno Scrya thinks you are dead, he will shift his target towards Takamachi Nanoha. Then we'll be able to concentrate our defenses around her while you will be our offense in locating him."

"So you want me to be bait."

"No, it's not like that" I shook my head. "The reason I want you to be your sister is because you've had training from your parents and you know your way around things." I explained. "I will give you full access to the case file and even assist you in whatever you need in exchange for helping us."

She looked at me for a moment then turned her gaze outside the window.

"But you are not allowed to kill him." I added at the end, half as a joke.

"Darn!" She turned back to me with a sarcastic frown. "...I will help you catch him." She stated after a few moments. "As payback for shooting me." Her eyes glowed with determination. "However I want to work alone." Her conditions were laid out. "I will provide daily reports and everything else, but I move easier when I am on my own."

"What about your...partner?" I turned my gaze to the door.

"She will be assisting me, of course." Came the response. "I can manage her, but I am not so good at coordinating teams. I am not my parents after all."

"Alright." I agreed. "I will let you operate on your own provided you carry a signaling device that will enable us to find your location should you somehow be in trouble." I stated my own conditions. It was a risky gamble-letting someone like her out on her own-but I know that the reward of her help would outweigh the risk of using her as bait.

"Agreed then." She extended her hand. "It will be a pleasure working with you," She smiled. "Agent Yagami Hayate."

* * *

_A/N: Well I hope that answered some questions...although some of you are probably going to be screaming "But all it did was give even MOAR questions!" XD Well the link is below as always~ I am ready for moar comments complaints concerns or issues. I can finally take a break for like another few months! yaaay~ lol no. I'll keep working on this during my spare time. Thanks again for your patience orz._

* * *

**~ Extra ~**

"In tonight's news: A young girl was found shot to death on an alleyway on the corner of 7th street and 19th Ave a couple of days ago." The TV reporter stated through the television set. "Police have not released the victim's name nor have they released any other information, but they have issued a warning to be careful when walking around during evening hours..."

"Hmph." Yuuno pressed the button and turned off the tv. "That is one down and a couple more to go." He looked at the table with the pictures of his targets scattered all over it. "Then my revenge will be complete. I'll make you regret ever crossing me," He picked up a certain picture and narrowed his eyes. "Fate Testarossa..."


	19. Season 2 Chapter 8

_A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry again for the long pause between chapters. I would like to keep blaming real life, but in the end...it really is real life :p But anyway! Lets get this started once more!_

* * *

**~ Season 2 Chapter 8 ~**

"Hmm?" Nanoha tilted her head as she walked past a door in the Testarossa household. She noticed it was different from all the other rooms in the house, not because it was at an odd location, but it seemed like its owner abandoned it long ago. She walked up to it and noticed the condition of the door. It looked older than the rest of the house, almost as if it was built way before everything else around it. A gulp was made as her shaky hands reached for the door knob and slowly opened it.

The door creaked with a sound only found in ancient temples and monuments, confirming her suspicion that this particular room had, indeed, been forgotten by time.

"Achoo!" A sudden sneeze escaped her body as the air made contact with her nose. She winced momentarily as she got used to it again and stepped inside. The room looked rather plain-a bed on the far corner, a window with its curtains sealed, a desk equipped with a lamp, and a small poster-like scroll on the other side of the wall. Curious, she walked up the old bed then to the desk and finally to the scroll, noting that all the items were indeed covered in dust as if the room were preserved for all time.

Nanoha's eyes looked upon the letters written on the scroll, but the words were written in a foreign language, so she was unable do decipher what it said.

"Valor..." A voice spoke up behind her, scaring her out of her wits. She spun around and noticed Precia Testarossa standing behind her, the woman's eyes fixed upon the scroll as she continued to read.

"_A Knight is sworn to Valor..."_

"_His heart knows only Virtue..."_

"_His blade defends the helpless..."_

"_His might upholds the weak..."_

"_His words speaks only Truth..."_

"_His wrath undoes the wicked..."_

"This... was Alicia's most prized possession." the older woman mused, never taking her eyes off the hanging scroll. "This was her dream that she took on as a child. She wanted to be like her father."

"I...see." Nanoha finally calmed herself down enough to be able to speak. "So this is Alicia's room..." she looked around once more "it looks like its been-"

"Abandoned, yes." Precia answered as she made her way back to the door, Nanoha following unconsciously. "This room is part of what she once was, but when she lost her father, she lost almost everything that was attached to him." Her eyes saddened as she once again sealed the door. "She can never go back to this room, just as she can never go back to her father."

"But you trained her anyway?" I asked. "To be like her father?"

"Yes." Came the response. "When they were very young, my husband and I decided to give them the ability to choose their own path in life, and we had hoped the world would allow them to choose a peaceful one." She walked with Nanoha towards the table and sat down.

"Why didn't you train Fate? Did she not want to learn?"

"She was in the same situation as you." She continued. "But you and Alicia radiated the same aura. Since her training was a failure and Fate gave up after learning the basics, I had placed all hopes on you." Her eyes locked on to their blue counterparts.

"W...why?"

"Because I thought the world might need a new champion." She smiled jokingly. "No, because you are the most adequate to continue our work. If you learn and use the abilities I teach you, you will be able to increase your abilities beyond anything you have ever known."

**~xX*Xx~**

*beep*beep*beep* The alarm went off slowly waking me from my slumber. I held my head and rose slowly to shut off the alarm that was indicating rather loudly that was it already 6:30am.

"What an odd dream..." I stated to myself as I stretched my arms over my head. I didn't think that I would keep dreaming about the times I spent with Precia Testarossa-even though it was only in a very short time.

"_Testarossa." _The name reminded me of Fate. It had been several days since I had called her that night and I have yet to speak to her ever since. Every time I try to get in contact with her, she's either busy or not at school at all. Hayate has also been incredibly busy with her work ever since the incident with Alicia that she's even stopped going to school.

"Ha~~~" I sighed to myself. It feels like I've been left alone again and it was rather saddening, if not boring. I wanted to do something to help, but I am not an investigator like Hayate and the rest of them nor do I have the background training and mental capacity Alicia has. I'm so useless. "Ha~~~" I sighed again and plopped back down into the covers.

I tossed and turned for about a good five minutes before I finally became drowsy enough again to fall back asleep. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last very long since the sun was rising slowly over the horizon.

"Damn it..." I sighed as I pushed the covers off of me. "I don't wanna go to school~" I whined like a spoiled child. _"I wonder what she is doing now..."_ My thoughts drifted to a certain girl while I went to the bathroom to straighten up. "_She's been avoiding me the past few days. Trying to be subtle about it by being busy all the time, but its far too obvious..."_ I frowned at myself in the mirror. "_I have to set things right today. I have to." _ I clenched my fist in determination as I made my way downstairs.

**~xX*Xx~**

"Ok Nanoha." I muttered to myself as I stood in front of the classroom door. "Let's do this."

I opened the door and stepped inside.

"Good morning." I greeted everyone, receiving several greetings in return. My gaze scanned the room looking for my target.

Fate sat there, seemingly lost in thought. She didn't even flinch as I walked past her to get to my seat. I would have said something if the bell to start homeroom didn't go off. The expression on her face seemed rather...troubled. Throughout the entire class, her gaze was to the front of the classroom, but I could tell that her eyes weren't focused at all. Maybe what I told her still hit her pretty hard, but come on! It's been a few days already! She needs to quit acting like a kid. I started to get agitated and couldn't bring myself to focus on the lesson-all I thought about was how I was going to corner the girl and have her stop being so selfish.

*Ding*Ding*Ding* The bell for lunch rang while my thoughts were preoccupied. It took me a few moments to gather my thoughts. Unfortunately, that was enough time for my target to escape.

"Damnit!" I muttered to myself when I noticed Fate's empty chair. "How is she that fast? It's almost like she's got lightning speed or something." I sighed and sat back down on my desk, pulling my lunchbox out. "Does she really hate me that much?" I whispered, my heart aching a little bit at the thought. "_If I had known it was going to be like this... I never would have told her that."_ My eyes began to sting a little bit.

"Are you ok?" A nearby classmate noticed my action and leaned over to check on me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied "Just got some dirt in my eyes." I stood up. "Excuse me, I need to go to the nurse's office" I got up with my lunch and stormed out the door.

I didn't feel like being in school so I decided to sneak out a little bit and maybe have lunch somewhere else. I found myself heading towards the back of the school yard where large bushes covered one of our school's secret entrances-well it was more of a broken section of the fence but it was a good place to enter and exit if you were late or wanted to escape early. I pulled myself through and stood for a few moments, trying to figure out where I should go next. Once I figured out where I was, I was in the middle of the park.

"Ara? Well if it isn't Nano-chan~" A very familiar voice froze me in place. There was only one person who ever called me that and she was someone who I had admired-and even loved-at one point in time.

"Suzuka...-nee." I turned around slowly, my eyes watering again.

"Skipping school?" She put her arms behind her back and tilted to the side with a large smirk on her face.

"N-no, not really." I quickly wiped my eyes and smiled. "I just...wanted to eat alone today." We walked towards the bench. "What about you?" I asked. "Don't you have school today as well?"

"We are having exams right now." She frowned. "So everyone is being given self-study time in preparation." She looked at me an patted my head. "You look like a puppy drenched in the rain." She pulled my head closer to her chest. "Come on, tell your 'onee-chan' what's going on~"

My eyes closed as my body savored the feeling it had not felt in so long. I always felt like nothing could go wrong when she did this and I guess I'll never forget it. There was one minor problem, however, and it was that we weren't kids anymore. She developed quite nicely and that incredible development was now preventing me from breathing.

"Mmmmh-mmmm-hmmm!" I tried to protest, but only muffled sounds escaped my lips.

"Hmmm?" She looked down at me. "Ah! Sorry!" She understood when I gave her the signal that I wanted to tap out.

"Bwah!" I gasped as the air once again filled my seemingly ravaged lungs. "That was close..." I whispered out, trying to maintain consciousness because it seemed like my vision was blacking out.

"So~" She began once more. "What happened to that cute-looking girl that's always around you?"

I decided that I needed help in managing my situation. At the very least Suzuka isn't directly involved so even if she knew everything, she would be able to do little. Although I do feel most relieved telling her everything-after all, she was once the most important person to me.

"Well...she's part of the reason I am in this situation." I started.

"Did you two have a fight?" She asked as she opened her lunch that I recognized was bought from a nearby convenience store.

"No, we didn't really have a fight." I tried to find ways to say it without actually saying it, but couldn't think of any other phrase "We broke up."

"I see." She frowned and patted my head in comfort as I began to explain everything. "Go on." She smiled. "Tell me everything~"

**~ Interlude ~**

"Is this your plan?" Hayate frowned and crossed her arms.

"Yes." Alicia nodded. "If I am to be as bait, I will need to operate by myself-that includes being by myself from now on." She directed her gaze at Lena.

"But Master-!" She was cut off when the blond raised her hand.

"I will still need your help on some things, however I cannot have you following me around anymore. If Yuuno Scrya sees you with me, he will think that I am not Fate, and therefore, alive."

"I don't like this plan." Hayate stated. "If something were to happen to you, it would take us forever to come help."

"She's right! At least let me go to the same area you are!" The blue-eyed girl pleaded.

"Your part is just as important as mine is." Alicia replied. "My part will be to go to the slums in the eastern side of the city where we met him last. Your part will be to cover the northern section near the cemetery. That way it won't look like you're investigating-it will look more like you are going to visit my grave."

"Alicia!" Lena intended to get her point across by stating the other's name, but instead found a arm extended to her direction. "You can't be serious..."

"Ha?" Hayate tilted her head once she saw the fear in Lena's eyes.

"By my name..." Alicia's voice became serious, managing to scare even Hayate because of the amount of strength put into it. It was almost as if she was a different person. "I order you with my command seal."

"Master! Reconsider!"

"Lena. Investigate the northern section near the cemetery. And don't return till you finish."

"Kuh-" The girl grit her teeth as if she wanted to respond, but her body wouldn't let her. "Understood...Master." Came the response after several moments.

"Ha?" Hayate looked even more confused as she stood there and watched the preceding scene unfold.

"Well then~" Alicia stated in her normal tone. "I'll be going ahead."

**~ Interlude End ~**

"Hmmm, that is quite the predicament." Suzuka nodded to herself as I finished my story. "I know how hard this must be for you, but...how is Alicia-san handling this?"

"Eh?" I was caught off guard by the unexpected question. "She seems to be handling it quite well." I stated, trying to remember how things were after we broke up "She seems like the strong type to not let anything get in her way, so I am sure she's fine."

"You're 'sure'?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Y-yeah..."

"She is still human, Nanochi." She began lecturing me. "For all that fierce exterior, she's the one who is crying the most, I believe." She leaned back on the bench and looked up. "But if you've honestly conveyed your feelings towards her, and she has completely understood, then the least you could do is still be friendly with her."

"Yeah..."

"About the other sister, though." She began again after she let the words sink into my brain. "You will have to do something-maybe corner her-and express your true feelings. She may just be afraid or confused right now-after all, you did just break up with her twin sister."

"You're right..." I looked down at my hands in shame. "I was only thinking about myself this whole time, that I didn't even consider the feelings of those others who were involved in this situation."

"Nanoha..."

"Why is it?" I clenched my fists. "Why am I always hurting those around me? First you, then Alicia, now Fate... all I do is cause problems with my selfishness."

"It's all part of growing up, Nanochi." She patted my head. "I am sure that you will become a wonderful person to these people." She smiled as she looked at the clock tower in the park. "You just have to take the step to make it so. Now we both have to go." She pointed at the time. "I wish you the best" She came up to me and gave me a very warm hug. "Don't' let me down, Takamachi Nanoha."

**~xX*Xx~**

The afternoon classes dragged on the day, but it was helpful since I needed time to think about what I was going to do next. My attention was not at all directed towards the instructor as much as they were towards the blond that filled my mind.

"_If she tries to escape from you again..." _Suzuka's voice filled my mind _"Try using this to restrain her~"_

"The hell do you mean 'use this'?" I looked at her so-called _present _that came in the form of handcuffs. I wanted to ask why she had this kind of thing, but I wasn't going to push my luck. "Forget it!" I warned myself, it was better to not know anyway.

While I was busy planning out my next few steps, the bell rang signaling the end of the day. I was taken by surprise and almost forgot to act as I saw my target trying to escape.

"Oh no, you don't!" I screamed as I cuffed her.

"What the-?" She turned around and looked at her arm which was now connected to mine by a metalic chain.

"You're coming with me!" I pulled quickly and forcefully to avoid making a scene and giving her a chance to resist.

"Where are we going?" She asked, almost in a panic as we ran upstairs and onto the roof.

"Fate-chan!" I pushed her against the wall.

"Ita!" She shouted as she slammed against it.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" I reached behind her head to make sure she wasn't bleeding. "I guess I got too worked up."

"Release me!" She ordered.

"You'll escape if I do." I replied.

"I'll break my wrist and remove these cuffs if you don't." She threatened.

"Fine..." I pulled the key out of my pocket "But you have to listen to me."

I released both our wrists from the chain that held us together and placed both my arms on either side of her head

"Fate-chan..." I declared. "I was serious about what I said." I braced myself. "I really really do like you."

Her eyes widened for several moments and I couldn't tell if she was going to cry or burst out in anger.

"How could you..." She whispered.

"Ha?" I leaned in a little closer.

"How could you say that to me? You just broke up with my sister!" She roared at me. "Was she just a game to you?" Her eyes pushed me back.

"No, I-"

"I wanted to believe that you truly were happy, Nanoha. I really wished for the best between you two. I know next to nothing about my sister, but she's still my living family. What you did-what you are doing now-!" She covered her mouth to keep herself from choking on her tears.

"Fate-chan..."

The girl shook her head once more before she took of running down the stairs. I could have stopped her, but my body wouldn't react. I am such an idiot. I can't even do anything right.

"I'm sorry Suzuka-nee..." I felt my knees give as I crumpled on the floor. "I tried, but my conviction wasn't strong enough."

**~ Interlude ~**

"That Nanoha..." Fate sighed to herself. "She just doesn't understand at all..." She sighed once again and turned towards the park. "I just wish that..." She shook her head and walked up to the vending machine.

"So, what brings you out here all alone?" A voice froze her body and sent shivers down her spine, the coin she was holding dropping to the floor. "How careless of them to leave you all alone, especially when you are the one I am after."

"Yuuno...Scrya" Fate turned around slowly in fear.

"It has been a while, Fate." He grinned and took a step towards her, making her push back against the machine.

"Y-y-you...you killed Chrono!" She blurted out.

"Yes, yes I did." He acknowledged as he stepped closer and closer. "He was getting in the way, you see." He stopped in front of her. "So I had to get rid of him." He leaned in close.

"Get away from me!" She tried to push him back, but stopped when she felt something metallic hit her stomach.

"Now, now." He grinned as he pushed the barrel of the gun slowly under her shirt. "No need to be hostile." He slowly slid it further up till the tip of it touched her breasts, the cold steel on her stomach making her shiver even more so.

"Hic" She blurted out uncontrollably, her body paralyzed.

"Now, then." He leaned in closer to her and whispered directly into her ear. "Shall we go for a walk?"

**~ Interlude End ~**

"I guess I should head home..." I picked myself up after a little while. "Why am I such a failure at things?" I looked at the sky. "I guess this is the punishment I deserve for being so selfish..." I smiled to myself crookedly as I made my way down the stairs.

"Ah, Nanoha-chan" Shamal met me as I passed by the nurse's office. "Going home?"

"Yeah" I admitted tiredly "I don't feel good. I'm sorry."

"Take care on your way home ok?" she waved "I am going to be reporting back to the unit later after I finish these physical reports."

"Goodbye, Shamal-sensei"

**~xX*Xx~**

"Nanoha?" Hayate called me when I got home. "Have you seen Fate?"

"Ha?" I was a little confused about the question. I mean I have seen her all day, but-

"She hasn't come home yet."

My eyes widened.

"What?"

"I don't know where she is, Nanoha. I thought she would be with you all day, but she hasn't come home at all yet. Do you have any ideas?"

"No!" I gripped the phone tighter. "I mean, I spoke to her right after school but she ran from me and I haven't seen her since!"

"Shit!" Hayate cursed over the phone. "Stay there. I am going to send my men out to find her."

"I am coming too!" I yelled. "Its my fault she's gone!"

"..."

"Hayate!" I screamed even louder.

"I'll come pick you up." She answered after a few more moments.

I hung up the phone and quickly dressed myself, not even really caring how I looked. My friend was in trouble and I could do nothing about it-worse, it was my fault that she was captured. I was supposed to watch her at school, but I let her go on her own.

"Fate-chan..." I grit my teeth and paced back and forth outside my house waiting for Hayate to show up. Thankfully it wasn't that much longer till a vehicle arrived and stopped next to me.

"Let's go!" Hayate called from the driver's seat.

"You ok?" Alicia asked me from the passenger seat as I stepped in.

"Alicia!" I was surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I lost contact with Lena." She answered. "I sent her to the northern area near the cemetery but I haven't received any reports from her recently so I was worried." She gripped her right hand. "This is my fault this time. I thought Yuuno would leave her alone since I was supposed to be dead. She no longer has any connection to this case, but I guess I was wrong."

"When was the last time you saw Fate?" Hayate spoke up next as she sped through a red light, scaring the living daylights out of me.

"I talked to her right after school, like I said earlier and then never again after that."

"Damn..." Hayate cursed. "We'll get nowhere running around. We'll regroup at the Testarossa house." She looked over at Alicia. "Is that ok?"

"Agreed." The blond nodded. "We're just wasting time and energy doing this, and it's probably part of his plan."

"I'm so sorry..." I whispered from the back seat. "I know you all entrusted her to me, but I let you all down. I'm so sorry..." I started crying.

"It's not your fault, Nanoha." Alicia spoke up. "I should have acted on my plan sooner. I was going to take Fate's place after a few days, but I guess I was too late."

"The fault lies with me also." Hayate responded. "I got too caught up with Zafira's death that I let it cloud my judgment." She sighed as she pulled up to the Testarossa mansion. "Let's go, we should discuss everything inside."

**~xX*Xx~**

"Is everyone gathered?" Hayate looked around the room. "Ok, so what's our current situation?"

I looked at everyone gathered, Vita sat to my left, Signum to my right, Alicia and Hayate sat on the opposite couch-each one had a serious expression on their faces that made me feel pressured.

"I still can't get in contact with Lena." Alicia responded.

"I sent a team over to go look for her, Shamal is in charge of the unit." Signum added.

"Fate's cellphone was deactivated so we can't trace it." Vita added.

"Great...so we have two people missing and we don't have anywhere to start looking for one of them." Hayate leaned back as she felt a migraine forming.

"I'm sorry..." I spoke again. "This is all my fault!"

"That's enough!" Hayate chastised me. "Who's fault it is doesn't matter right now. We need to find both Fate and Lena, we can worry about fault later." She leaned forward, "Ok..." She pulled up a map of the city. "Let's start with what we know: Fate went missing after school." She pointed at the school on the map. "Now considering that Yuuno is a wanted person right now, it's hard for him to move around carelessly and so his travel radius is small if he's got Fate with him."

"What is it?" Signum answered her phone. "I see. Expand the search radius and send some teams down to the river. Ok."

"Report." Hayate ordered.

"They could not find Lena anywhere near the cemetery, but there were traces of blood found near some of the gravestones so I sent the team to investigate the river." She pointed to the map.

"You can't mean..." Alicia spoke up.

"I don't want to, but its probable."

"Damnit!" Alicia grit her teeth. "I got careless." She pounded the table. "I shouldn't have sent her there!"

"We don't know if shes dead." Vita interjected.

"There is too much going on right now." Hayate assessed the situation. "We need to get our game together." She eyed all of us. "From now on, we will all be living here until we solve this problem." She looked at all of us in turn as if to state that it was not a suggestion. "We leave in pairs at all times-especially you two." She pointed at Alicia and myself. "I don't want any more people going missing, understood?"

"Hai" Alicia nodded and looked back at the map.

"Agreed..." I lowered my head.

"Ok, its getting late. You two go to bed." She pointed to us both. "Signum, rally up communications, Vita make sure these two go to bed and then help me limit the locations we need to search it."

"Lets go, kids." Vita pointed towards the stairs. "Bed time."

"But!" I tried to protest.

"Let the professionals do their job. Your role will come later." She countered. "You need to be prepared for that time, got it?"

"Hai..." I nodded in defeat as I followed Alicia upstairs.

"I hate to admit it, but she's right." Alicia said at the top of the stairs. "Come on, let's get some sleep." She pointed towards the guest room.

"Are you going to your room?" I asked out of curiosity.

"...No."

"I'm sorry." I quickly responded, the dream I had flooding back to me.

"Good night, Nanoha."

"Good night." I bowed lightly and closed the door behind me. I plopped on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. This was going to be a long night...

* * *

_A/N: Once again I thank you for your patience. I know a lot of you are just dying to kill me, but please don't ^.^; Anyway! I have a poll on my profile about what I should write next. I have several people cast their votes already but if you don't have an account on FF-dot-net then you wont be able to vote. You can however leave your vote in your review, just please make sure you add like a little name at the bottom since for some reason this website makes all "anon"-type reviews as "Guest" instead of being able to write your names down. Please do that for me or else I'll have to count your vote as "spam" :/ Once again the link is below~ Thank you for your time orz_

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**~ Extra ~**

"Aruji..." Signum lowered her phone after a few moments.

"What is it?" Hayate kept her attention on the map with all the markings on it.

"We found Lena Sayers." Signum declared, making the lead investigator divert her attention. "She's dead. She was found in the river. Shot in the heart."

"Damnit!" Hayate pounded the table.

"The body is being sent to forensics for autopsy." She paused for a few moments. "Should I tell Alicia Testarossa?"

"No. I'll do it." Hayate shook her head "I am in charge of this investigation, it is my responsibility to do so."

"Aruji..."

"I want that autopsy report done and in my hands within the hour." Her anger evident in her voice. "Yuuno Scrya...this is becoming more and more personal."


	20. Season 2 Chapter 9

_A/N: Hey again guys~ Sorry about the delay. Been having some wild times here and I spent a bit of time at the hospital when I crashed meh car lol. Anyway! Lets get this going again!_

* * *

**~ Season 2 Chapter 9 ~**

"I want all resources going towards this case!" Hayate walked though the Investigations Department with papers in hand. "We have to find this girl through all means necessary!"

It has been 36 hours since Fate Testarossa vanished. Every hour she remains missing the chances of her survival diminish. Hayate knew that...everyone knew that. Their only saving grace so far was that there was still no body found.

"Hayate!" Vita called from across the room. "I'm taking a team to re-investigate around the area where Lena got shot."

"I'm going to recompile the evidence we got from the coroner and compare them to current investigations." Signum added.

"I will go ahead and continue mapping out where we have and haven't searched yet." Alicia typed away at a computer in her own mini office.

"I...will go buy us all drinks...I guess." Nanoha frowned, feeling like a 5th wheel among all the people who seemed to be professionals.

"Griffith!" Hayate called a policeman that was passing by. "Go with Nanoha." She looked at the brunette. "And don't let her out of your sight."

"Yes, ma'am." He saluted and looked over at the other girl. "Shall we?"

~xX*Xx~

"I'm so useless..." Nanoha sighed as she and her escort reached the vending machines. "I was so concerned about everyone, but when it came down to it, there is absolutely nothing I can do-I'm only here because I am associated with everyone."

"Don't feel bad, Takamachi-san." Her escort smiled at her. "Everyone is helpful in their own way-don't worry, you will find out what it is sooner or later."

"I wish it was sooner than later, though." She complained as she sat down and opened her soda can.

"Maybe you are already doing it but just don't realize it yet." He offered.

"Thanks." She smiled and turned to the machine once more. "I wonder what everyone wants to drink."

"Hrmmm..." Griffith looked at the choices and pondered.

"...?" Nanoha's phone began vibrating indicating that she had received a message. She had placed it on silent since she didn't want to interrupt the earlier meeting.

"How about this?" Griffith offered, carrying several cans in his hands.

"Nnn~ that works." She nodded. "Hey could you go on ahead? I need to do something real fast."

"My instructions were to not let you out of my sight." His brow creased.

"Sure." Nanoha grinned. "You can watch me as I do my business in the little girl's room." She laughed as his expression turned into one of pure terror.

"O-ok! Just hurry up!" Here turned around to hide his embarrassed face.

"I'll be back." Nanoha nodded as she took off full speed towards the center of town.

_'Takamachi Nanoha'_ The message read. _'If you want to see Fate alive, come to the location indicated below. Come alone...or she dies.'_

"Fate-chan..." Nanoha muttered to herself. She knew the message was real because it was sent from Fate's cell phone. "Hold on I'm going to get you out of there..." She grit her teeth and ran full speed.

~xX*Xx~

"What do you mean you lost Nanoha?!" Hayate nearly screamed at the top of her lungs. "I told you to never let her out of your sight!"

"I'm sorry..." Griffith lowered his head accepting the punishment he's currently receiving. "She told me she needed to go to the restroom and I couldn't follow her in there obviously."

"There is a restroom _in here!" _ She continued. "Plus you could have waited outside! You didn't have to be next to her, but at least be in an area where she couldn't escape!"

"Ok, that's enough." Signum stepped in. "Yelling at him further won't get us anywhere." She smiled at Griffith. "I'm sure he's learned his lesson." She turned her attention back to the map she was looking at. "We should start scouring the local area, Takamachi-san couldn't have gone far without a vehicle."

"Ok..." Hayate sighed. "We can't spare many people right now, though-"

"I'll go." Alicia stood up. "I know the area well. I'll be able to track her down."

"Take Vita with you."

"No." The blond shook her head. "If Yuuno senses that we are getting close to his location, he'll move-worse yet, he might kill them both and then escape. I'll go alone until I can make sure I've found him, then I will contact you on my phone. If it rings once, I've found him. More than that...and I'm dead."

"Don't joke around like that." Hayate's expression darkened. "This is why I want Vita to go with you."

"We made a deal, remember?" She walked to the door. "Don't worry, I will only be around the first few blocks. Any further and she'll need a car and since she doesn't want to attract attention, she's going to be walking." She grinned and headed out the front.

"I wonder where she gets her confidence from..." Hayate sighed once again.

"Aruji..." Signum spoke after a few moments.

"No." She shook her head. "We need everyone here right now. We'll have to trust that she's not doing anything rash..." She looked out the door Alicia ran through. "There is also something I wanted to confirm..."

"Hmm?" Signum looked over at her leader.

"How did the investigation go at the morgue?"

"The bullets match." The pink-haired investigator nodded. "The gun that killed Lena was the same one that was used to kill Zafirra."

"Any idea on the maker?"

"No, however we are running matches on the bullet towards everything we have on file."

"Why'd you let her go?" Vita decided to approach and flow the topic.

"Part of me wants to believe that she's doing this as revenge for her lost companion." Hayate answered. "But the other half of me thinks that she's still emotionally connected to Nanoha."

"What do you mean?" Vita looked over her shoulder.

"Those two just broke up not too long ago and it was Nanoha who let go." Hayate put the papers down on the table. "Granted it is none of our business what those two do in their private lives, however it seems to have never truly been settled." She frowned. "After all that's happened to Alicia, she might just be trying to keep herself together." Her expression darkened some. "I just hope she doesn't have a lapse in judgement because of this..."

"No use thinking about it now." Vita stated objectively. "She's gone and we've got work to do."

"Ok, let's start by gathering what else we know and we'll start from there."

"Hai!"

~xX*Xx~

"This is the place..." Nanoha breathed as she looked up at the tall building in front of her. "Wait for me!" She said to herself as she charged into the building.

It was a 5 story building but it seemed like it went on for an eternity as Nanoha charged up the stairs, ignoring any possibility that it was a trap. All she cared about at the moment was making sure her friend was alive.

"Fate-chan!" She burst into the room and stopped, her breath ragged from the run.

"Nanoha!" Fate's expression changed into one of pure surprise. "What are you doing here?!" She yelled out "You have to leave before-"

"No! Not without you!" She ran over to free the other girl but stopped when she noticed something strapped to the girl's body.

"Nanoha, listen to me, get out of here before-"

"Now, that just won't do..." A voice called from the doorway, making both of them stiffen up "She can't leave...not after I called her all the way over here." Yuuno grinned.

"Let her go!" Nanoha turned around to face her opponent.

"Sure, I'll let her go." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote detonator. "In pieces...ha ha ha!"

"Kuh!" She grit her teeth.

The vest strapped to Fate's chest was most certainly filled with explosives. She couldn't risk doing anything until she got a hold of that detonator.

"What do you want..." She declared more than asked.

"I just want to see the look on her face as I kill you slowly...intimately...in every possible way I know how."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Fate struggled against her bonds.

"If I surrender myself to you...will you let her go?" Nanoha braced herself.

"What are you saying?!" Fate screamed.

"I'll consider it..." Yuuno smiled. "If you can satisfy me...ha ha ha." His eyes stating just exactly what he wanted.

"Nanoha!" Fate called out again but her voice landed on deaf ears.

"Then let her go." Nanoha tried again.

"You haven't satisfied me yet..." Yuuno's eyes filled with anticipation.

"..." Nanoha bit back the embarrassment as she slowly reached for the buttons on her blouse and started to undo them.

"Good..." Yuuno clapped his hands as he enjoyed the display before him. "If you don't enjoy this either...the deal is off, ha ha ha!"

~xX*Xx~

"Anything yet?" Hayate spoke on the phone.

"Nothing..." Alicia answered as she peered around. "I've cleared sectors 1, 2 and 4 but there have been no witnesses."

"Damn...does that girl realize how much trouble she's putting us through?!"

"I'll start looking at sector 3." Alicia answered.

"Ok." Hayate rubbed her temples. "Keep me posted."

"Hayate..." Vita spoke up the moment the cell phone was turned off. "We traced the last location of Nanoha's cellphone." She went to the map. "It's been turned off, but the last known location was right here." She pointed.

"That's in the other side of town..." The leader noted. "Nanoha couldn't have ran all the way there. She had to have taken the bus route and walked to get to that sector of the city."

"If I remember right, there's been a lot of deconstruction in the area" Signum noted. "It would be the perfect place to hide someone seeing as the area would be cleared because of all the buildings wired to explode."

"It's also the perfect trap." Hayate bit her thumbnail. "If Yuuno Scrya sees us sending people in, he'll just detonate the place and everyone else along with it."

"So what will we do?" Vita looked at the map again. "The pinpoint we got was only the general area, we don't know exactly which building its in and we certainly do not have enough manpower to try to clear the entire block."

"And if he even suspects that we're on to him, he might kill the victims." Signum added.

"We have no choice." Hayate responded after a few moments of hard concentration. "We will go as a small unit and clear the buildings one by one. I know that will take a while." She understood Vita's stare. "But we have no other choice. I want you two, Shamal and three others to go with us. Have the rest on standby outside the block."

"Roger!"

~xX*Xx~

"Ugh..." Nanoha slowly opened her eyes and tried to regain her senses and quell the small headache she was suffering. "!" Her eyes immediately widened when she realized that her hands were bound together in front of her.

"Nanoha!" Fate's voice came from next to her. "Nanoha are you ok?!"

"Yeah..." She shook her head. "I'm fine...just a little dizzy." She tried moving her body but found pain shooting from all over her. "Ugh!"

"I'm so sorry, Nanoha..." Fate looked down. "I'm so sorry this had to happen to you..."

"Hey dont worry about it" a smile came across her face "You know I would do anything to see you safe...even if I had to give up my first time."

"Nanoha..." Fate sighed "I'm so sorry." she bowed her head a few moments before sighing "Think they'll find us?"

"Well, if Hayate hasn't figured out where we are yet, then I am sure Alicia has already." She sat up slowly and tried to relax her body. "Those two are on a completely different league from us." She smiled weakly. "I'm sure they are on their way."

"Yeah..." Fate sighed once again. "I feel so insignificant when I'm around them... especially when they are working in sync with each other."

"Well, when Hayate and them arrive we have to-"

"You have to just sit back and let us rescue you." Another voice cut Nanoha off.

"Hayate!" Fate exclaimed.

At the entrance of the doorway stood one Yagami Hayate, with her were Vita and Signum, carefully watching the rear.

"How did you find us?!"

"Worry about that later." Vita ran up to them and started unbinding the knots.

"Be careful!" Nanoha stated as Signum reached out for the vest Fate was wearing. "Yuuno said it was rigged."

"Shit..." Vita cursed as she pushed Signum out of the way. "Ok...let me take a look at this." She glanced over at what appeared to be its control panel and gazed at the seemingly endless amount of wires coming from it.

"Can you do it?" Signum asked after a bit.

"It's doable." Vita answered. "But its going to take some time."

"Go as fast as you can." Hayate ordered. "We can't be wasting too much time here."

"I'll try..." She answered and slowly moved Fate around to view how things were connected. "It's harder than I thought..." She whispered to herself.

"Anything I can do to help?" Nanoha leaned in.

"Unless you know how to disarm a 7 point explosive vest then don't bother asking." Her brow creased as she started counting the wires and cutting the ones that could lead to detonation. "Why do people always do this..." She muttered under her breath.

"Sorry..." Nanoha frowned and moved back a bit, half frightened at Vita's outburst and half sorry she tried to butt into a subject she has absolutely no idea about.

"Don't worry about it." Hayate comforted. "Vita is serious and she doesn't want anyone to die...especially not you, Nanoha." She grinned.

"Quit saying unnecessary things, Hayate!" The redhead growled and clipped more wires. "Ok, there!" She said as she began to remove the vest. "That should be all the wires." She tossed the jacket aside and helped Fate to her feet.

"Let's go!" Hayate nodded as she cleared the hallway and began leading her group back to the stairs. "If we're lucky we don't have to-" She was cut off as a small clapping sound reached her ears.

"Well, well..." Yuuno's voice came from behind them. "I can't have you leaving now, can I?" He greeted them.

"Yuuno Scrya!" Hayate pointed her gun at him. "You are under arrest for murder, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice!"

"Do you know what this is?" He pulled an item out of his pocket and pressed the button.

"Remote pressure detonator!" Vita's eyes widened. "You can't be serious!"

"Correct." He grinned. "If I release the button for 10 seconds, this entire place goes boom." He took two steps forward. "Now since you can't shoot me-"

***bang***

A gunshot echoed in the hall, the bullet flying past Hayate's ear and striking Yuuno in the chest, effectively cutting off his statement.

"You were saying?" Another voice came up beside the Nanoha, a beautifully polished gun preceding it.

"Alicia!" Nanoha exclaimed.

"Hayate, the entire building is wired with C4 and I confirmed that there is a large 500 gallon fuel tank in the basement." The blond reported, her eyes never leaving the wounded man in front of them.

"You bitch..." Yuuno gasped. "You will all die!" He mustered his strength and threw the detonator as hard as he could.

***bang***

Alicia's gun fired once more but it was too late.

"RUN!" Hayate ordered.

The group of six made their way to the stairs at full speed. One could almost hear the beeping noise attached to the explosives counting down to detonation.

"All units retreat!" Hayate's voice echoed through the area as she broke through the front door. "Get down, now!" She screamed as the first set of explosions from the top floor exploded.

The others ran behind the police cars, into the other buildings, and whatever kind of shelter then had. One explosion chain after another went off with the final one being the massive fuel reservoir at the basement.

Ears rang and eyes were clouded as the collapse of the building lifted a dust could out of the area. It took several moments for the wind to clear the dust enough for everyone to be able to make their way around.

"Report!" Signum yelled out. "Is everyone ok?!"

"We're ok!" Griffith's group called out. "No one is injured."

"We're good here too." Hayate looked at Nanoha and Fate. "Alicia? Vita?"

"Over here!" Alicia coughed. "We're fine."

"We need to back up some more." Vita coughed as she approached. "The place is on fire and who knows what secondary explosions might happen."

"I'll take these two." Alicia spoke up next, pointing to the other 2 civilians. "It would be bad if the media found out about us and you guys have damage control to do."

"Agreed." Hayate nodded. "We have to make sure the area is secure for the firefighters."

"Do you two need to see a medic?" Signum looked them over.

"No, we're not injured." Fate smiled.

"We should at least get you two to the hospital to get looked at. For all they know, you are in for a normal check up." Alicia answered. "They won't suspect that you were part of this whole event."

"I should go too." Hayate stated after thinking a bit.

"No, you have to come up with some kind of story to tell the media-or shut them up, but that's going to be impossible now, no?"

"Ok." The investigator nodded. "Here, take my car and make sure they are taken care of."

"Got it~" Alicia saluted like she was one of them and escorted the other two to the vehicle.

No sooner than the engine started, the sound of sirens as well as numerous other vehicles began pouring into the area. News crews, firefighters, medics, police officers, and nearby curious civilians looked onward as the building was ablaze.

"Looks like Hayate is going to have her hands full for a while." Alicia grinned as she checked her mirrors.

"Yeah..." Fate frowned as the turned the corner and left the area. "Thanks for coming to get us, Onee-chan."

"Yeah thanks a lot, Alicia." Nanoha smiled. "How did you know where to find us?"

"Hmm?" Alicia looked at the two of them in the back seat through the rear view mirror. "Ah...I knew all along."

"What?" Nanoha asked out of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I was the one who told you to go there~"

"You can't mean-!" Fate's eyes widened as she was hit with a dart.

"Fate-chan-!" Nanoha looked over at the blond beside her and was also cut off when she felt a sting on her neck. "Alicia...you...!" She managed to blurt out before her consciousness faded.

"Rest well." Alicia grinned as she turned the corner and placed the dart gun on her lap. "Takamachi Nanoha..."

* * *

_A/N: I could hear the sound of many many guns pointing in my direction lol. *ahem* Sorry this story was shorter than normal, but as you can tell the end is in sight! How will things turn out? Who will survive? Find out all this and more when...I get around to finishing it :p Anyway the link is below as always. The poll I have on my profile page states that you all want a romantic/comedy next it seems o.o Well it is still open so that might change~ Thank you once again for your time and patience~ orz _


	21. Final Chapter

_A/N: Hey everyone! I've had mobs with torches and pitchforks laying seige to my house lol. Anyway! I am sure you're ready to get this going again so~_

* * *

_**~~ Final Chapter ~~**  
_

"Ugh..." Nanoha opened her eyes to an unfamiliar scene. The place looked a little dark and moldy-like it had been abandoned for many years now. "Where..." She tried to finish her sentence, but the restraint on her body forced her mind to consider her surroundings. Her body was bound at her wrists which was in turn tied to the pole behind her. She looked around desperately and her eyes stopped at a blond laying face down on the floor a few feet away.

"Fate-chan!" She called out to the unconscious form. "Fate-chan!" She repeated.

"Geh!" A small grunt escaped from the person's lips as she slowly brought herself back to consciousness. "Ugh!" She forced her face off the floor and spat out the dirt on her lips.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha repeated.

"Nano...ha..." She shook her head and adjusted her vision. "Where...are we?" She looked around, assessing the situation. "Last I remember we were in the car and then Onee-chan..." Her eyes widened as her memories came back to her. "Onee-chan!" She bolted upright and grit her teeth as the blood rush made her feel a bit dizzy.

"Fate-chan, get out of here!" Nanoha stated.

"Wha-?" Fate looked over at the bound girl. "Hold on, I'm going to release you now!" She stumbled over, but the sound of nearby footsteps froze her on the spot.

"Ah...awake, I see." Alicia strode into the area nonchalantly.

"Alicia!" Nanoha gasped. "Why are you doing this?!"

"..." The blond threw a sword at Fate's feet before unsheathing her own.

"Onee-chan..." Fate's eyes widened at the gesture. She knew that she had to pick up the sword. Her sister would most definitely not attack until she did, but if she made a move other than to pick it up, that her life would definitely be forfeit.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha called out as she saw the other reach out and grasp the handle of the weapon. "You can't be serious!" She turned to Alicia. "Why?!"

Alicia tipped her sword down in motion that the battle had begun and leaped forwards toward her target. Fate raised her weapon in defense and moved her right leg back to brace herself for the impact. The clanking of metal echoed in the large area as the two collided.

"Kuh!" Fate grunted as she accepted the full force of the charge. She allowed her arms to lean against her chest so she would be pushing with her entire weight and not just her arms. "Why are you doing this?!" She looked into her sister's eyes. "WHY?!"

"This is revenge..." Alicia crouched down a bit and pushed forward with her weight and forced the other girl to slam into the wall. She then broke contact and swung her weapon horizontally in an attempt to slice her target in half.

"!" Fate ducked and rolled to her right, her eyes glancing back momentarily to the place she was just a moment earlier and noticed a line on the wall where Alicia's sword had marked. "Revenge for what?! What have I done?!" Fate backed up a few steps and raised the weapon over her head as she parried the attack from above.

"You have taken everything from me!" Alicia swung down. "Everything but this burning hatred!" She arched from her right shoulder. "That, I will never lose!" She kicked her sister in the stomach, sending her target flying towards Nanoha.

"Uwah!" Fate cried out as she landed next to Nanoha, the sword landing behind her.

"First you killed my father..." Alicia lowered her stance and glared. "Then you ruin my life..." She slowly moved her eyes towards the other girl. "And now you've taken Nanoha from me..."

"What are you talking about?!" Fate gasped. "What do you mean I killed out father?!" She slowly rose to her knees. "Everyone, including the reports on all of it said that you-!"

"Of course you don't remember..." Alicia pointed her weapon. Even though they were several feet away, the effect was the same as if they were next to each other.

**~~ Memory ~~**

"Onee-chan!" Fate called over. "Look at this!" She pulled out a guncase from inside their father's drawer.

"I don't think this is a good idea...that gun is very dangerous, Fate." Alicia frowned. "If we get caught we will be in very big trouble." she looked over her shoulder towards the door.

"Oh, you worry wart!" Fate opened it. "Have you seen this before?" She pulled it out.

"Watch where you are pointing that thing!" The older girl moved aside. "It could be loaded!"

"Eh?" Fate gripped the handle with both hands. "You've already seen this?" She frowned and swung it around like a toy. "And I wanted to show you this too when dad showed it to me the other day~"

"Fate!" She charged forward and grabbed her sister's arms, pointing the gun upwards. "Quit playing around! That is not a toy! Dad told me that you can kill someone with it!" The two of them began to struggle for control. "Put it down!"

"No! You're just jealous that I have it!" She released one hand and tried to push her sister's face aside, her fingers gripping the trigger lightly.

"What is going on here?" Their father opened the door and walked into the room.

"!" Alicia recognized the voice and immediately stopped struggling, her body pushed into the ground next to a small chair.

Fate's concentration kept her from realizing what was going on around her and successfully pushed her sister out of the way. Her arm's motion to lower the weapon sped up once the resistance had vanished, which in turn caused her to grip the gun even harder for fear of it falling on the ground. The hammer slid back as her grip tightened, Alicia made one last attempt to stop her sister by grabbing the small chair and desperately swinging it at Fate. Before the chair could hit its mark, however, the gun went off with an ear shattering explosion.

"!" Alicia's eye's widened as the deafening sound reached her ears, the surprise of the explosion forcing her to release her grip on the object she had, allowing it to strike her intended target on the head.

"Fate!" Alicia got up and ran to her sister but noticed that her eyes were empty from the impact she received. "Father!" She ran over to him and caught him just in time as he fell forward, gritting her teeth in an attempt to keep him up.

"It's...too late...I'm sorry..." He reached for his daughter's shoulders and tried to wordlessly reassure her that she would be okay, even without him.

"Father..." The child fought back her tears and grit her teeth in her struggle to keep him up.

"Alicia..." He uttered slowly, gathering the last of his strength to speak. "Take care of Fate..." With those final words, his eyes slowly closed, the flicker of life vanishing from within them as they shut.

**~~ Memory End~~**

"That's impossible!" Fate responded. "I remember sleeping through the entire morning that day!" She gripped her hands. "I woke up in my bed in the afternoon! Even mom said so!"

"That is because I threw you under the bed before Linith arrived." Alicia answered coldly. "I didn't have enough time to get you out of the room so I did the only thing I could do to make sure you weren't inside." Her eyes filled with hatred. "And when mom and Linith ran around to get the paramedics, I pulled you out and tucked you in bed."

"No! That's impossible!" She protested.

"Then how do you explain that little scar you have on the side of your head?" She pointed with her weapon. "Don't try to tell me you got that while falling down somewhere." She spat out.

"!" Fate looked down as Alicia approached. She had never told found out where she got the injury and just brushed it off as something from her usual childhood, but the knowledge presented to her made it throb in affirmation to the words.

She gripped her weapon tighter. "Now that you know the truth...you will suffer it's consequences!" She raised her sword above her head.

"Haaaa!" Nanoha took the opportunity and placed her weight on her hands, lifting her body off the ground and kicking Alicia square in the stomach, sending her flying back several feet. She then picked up the sword she used to cut her bonds and took up a stance.

"Fu fu fu..." Alicia began to laugh despite the pain as she struggled to her feet. "It seems there is more to you after all, my dear Nanoha." She looked at the brunette with lust in her eyes. "It makes me want you even more..."

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha whispered behind her. "Get out can contact Hayate. I'll hold her here."

"Nanoha..." Fate looked up at the girl in front of her. "But-!"

"Go!" She ordered as she charged forward and swung her weapon in an upward arc from her right side, the sound of metal clanking as she countered Alicia's downward strike.

Fate pulled herself together and made way for an exit, hoping to find some way to get in contact with Hayate before it was too late.

"Ha!" Alicia cried out as she slid her blade all the way though, forcing Nanoha's center of balance to lean forward with her blade pointed down. "_Now!_" She thought to herself as she reversed her original swing and pushed in an upward motion, forcing her opponent's blade to twist and strain the hand holding it.

"!" Nanoha's face contorted in pain as her left hand released the sword and her right hand was forced to twist abnormally to maintain control of the weapon. Her body fell backwards and landed on her rear, the shock registering all throughout her. She raised her weapon in defense and hurried to her feet while Alicia took a stance.

**~ Interlude ~**

"How much longer for this to be contained?" Hayate looked on at the inferno in front of her.

"We might have to just let this burn off." The fire chief responded. "We can contain it, but that large amount of fuel is making the fight difficult."

"Understood, please let us know if there is anything else we can do." She bowed and walked over to her team. "What's new?" She asked Signum as the agent turned off her phone.

"Aruji..." She responded. "Vita just finished running the bullet through ballistics." Her face darkened. "The bullet that killed Lena was fired from the same gun that killed Zafirra."

"I figured that much." Hayate nodded.

"Also..." Signum hesitated.

"What is it?"

"I had Vita look through all the records to see if there was a match in any of the records...and we found one."

"..." Hayate remianed silent as Signum's expression darkened.

"Vita just informed me that she found an old hidden case file in which the bullet that killed the victim was fired from the gun in question."

"And...?"

"The victim...was Precia Testarossa's husband." She stared her commander in the eyes. "and the killer..."

**~ Interlude End~**

"What's wrong?" Alicia charged forward again and swung down. "Is that all you really have?" She grinned in a mocking manner.

"Why?!" Nanoha grit her teeth as she felt the full weight of the strike on her shoulders.

"I want you Nanoha..." She licked her lips. "I want your body...your soul..." Her eyes narrowed. "And your life!" She pushed again, forcing her opponent to stagger back once more.

"Geh!" The brunette caught her breath once she regained her stance. "She's aiming for the holes in my defenses..." She muttered. "I have to do something or else I'll get pounded into the ground."

Before she could react, Alicia had charged forward once again and spun on her axis, delivering a powerful kick to her stomach, the force sending her colliding with the wall.

"Gah!" She exclaimed as blood left her mouth, her consciousness began to fade. _"I guess this is it..." S_he thought to herself. _"In the end...I am still no match for Alicia." S_he cursed her own weakness as she felt her impending doom approaching. _"I am sorry Fate-chan. I guess I'll be going ahead..."_

"Nanoha!" Fate called out her name from the second floor. "Nanoha! Get up, Nanoha!" She pleaded. "Please!" Her voice began to crack. "Get up!" She gripped the railing.

Alicia stood there, unmoving, as her focus laid on the body in front of her. "Is that all that your training amounts to..." She stated more than asked. "Is this the best that you could do..." She sighed after a few more moments of silence. "I guess I expected too much...but don't worry. I wont kill you. I will make sure you watch Fate suffer before she dies though." She took a step forward.

"_NANOHA!" _Fate screamed at the top of her lungs, causing Alicia to stop.

"Uk..." A small cry escaped the brunette's lips as her strength and consciousness returned.

Alicia's eyes narrowed as her opponent slowly rose back to her feet and took a stance.

"Nanoha..." Fate's tear-stained face turned to joy as energy left her body and made her drop to her knees.

"Alicia..." Blue eyes stared into their red counterparts. "Don't...you dare lay a hand on her..." She breathed. "I'll show you that I can defeat you!" She placed her sword to her right and charged forward. "Seiiiiyaaaaaaa~!"

"!" Alicia's eyes widened when their weapons collided. She had arranged her stance to brace for the attack, but she didn't expect it to be this powerful. The force of the impact bore its way into her arms and shoulders. It was as if she was hit by a bull instead of a person.

"Rhaaaa!" Nanoha pressed her attack, swinging and aiming for any openings she could find.

"Argh!" The blond grit her teeth as each blow sent a shockwave through her body, she was both amazed and thrilled that her enemy was capable of unleashing some incredible power. "I won't be defeated by something like this!" She yelled out and braced her stance, telling herself that from now on she would not retreat, not take another step backwards.

"So all this time..." Nanoha spun on her axis to build momentum for her strike "You were working with Yuuno-kun!"

"Working with him?" Alicia laughed. "That fool couldn't do anything on his own, he was desperate enough to mistake me for that weakling." She sneered. "After he tried to attack me, I decided to make use of him."

"And when he no longer had any use to you-you killed him!" Anger burned in her words. "And what about Lena-chan?!"

"Kuh!" The blond took the weight of the attack and then created distance between them to regain her stance. "She was not surprised when I killed her." Her voice lowered a little. "I did tell her a long time ago that I would more than likely be the cause of her death." She grinned. "She found out about everything when we met at the graveyard and she willingly accepted her fate."

"You...monster!" Nanoha renewed her strength with increased determination and charged forward once more. "Because of your selfishness-they died for nothing!"

The attacks continued, both combatants fighting for superiority. The dull sound of metal on metal echoing in the air. For a moment it seemed that the dance would never end, the two of them evenly matched even as they pushed strength for strength against each other. Eventually, fatigue began to settle in, their moves becoming more and more dull. Both of them knew it, but neither one dared show any sign of weakness.

"I take back my statement." Alicia smiled. "You are indeed something else. It makes me want you even more." She moved her weapon into a very familiar stance and licked her lips.

"!" Nanoha's body froze. She recognized it and her body locked up out of fear.

**~~ Memory ~~**

"Uwah!" Nanoha screamed as she flew backwards and landed hard on the ground.

"Interesting technique isn't it?" Precia smiled down at the girl before her. "The "Hyakka Ryōran."

"I can't..." She breathed. "Find any holes in its structure..." She admitted.

"This was my husband's move." The older woman lowered her wooden sword. "So of course Alicia spent a lot of time mastering it." Her arm extended to help the other up.

"Thank you..." Nanoha accepted. "Is there any way to beat it?" She sighed in frustration.

"As a matter of fact...there is." A large grin developed on Precia's face. "It's my technique that I developed just for this specific instance..."

**~~ Memory End~~**

Nanoha shifted her body into a stance that Alicia had never seen before and calmed her breathing. She needed to concentrate to pull off the attack or else it would be her head on the ground.

Alicia's eyes narrowed at the unfamiliar setup, her senses noting that it had several holes in its defense. She chuckled to herself, thinking that Nanoha was desperate, otherwise she would have thought of a better counter for an attack that she had seen before.

"_Hiken!" B_oth of them cried out at the same time as their preparations finished.

"_Hyakka Ryōran!"_

"_Tsubame Gaeshi!"_

Alicia charged forward, spinning on her axis and building incredible momentum as she made a seemingly impassable wall around her. Nanoha too lunged forward and opened her attack with a circular arc.

"!" Alicia's eyes widened as she tilted her blade to stop the strike, her momentum slowing down. "Urk!" She grunted as she saw Nanoha's second strike coming, she raised her weapon above her head to counter the vertical strike, however the bit of momentum she still had made her stance weak, forcing her to parry the attack instead and dodge to the side.

"Now!" Nanoha muttered to herself as she unleashed her third and final attack. Her horizontal strike targeted the direction that Alicia was falling towards. The blond realized this and twisted her body to allow her weapon to counter the oncoming blade in hopes of using the pull of gravity on her body to effectively block the attack.

"Ugh!" She grunted as the attack landed. Her arms felt numb after blocking three powerful attacks with a shaky stance, but her eyes told that she thought she was going to die.

Nanoha grinned as she twisted her blade and slid the length of it across Alicia's weapon and used the ongoing momentum to twist on her axis and land a powerful kick to the blond's sternum, sending her target flying against the wall. The dull sound of two metallic objects echoed as a gun fell to one side and the sword fell to another.

"Haaaa..." Nanoha exhaled and completed her stance. She knew she had to finish this once and for all, her growing anger getting the better of her. "Rhaaa!" She charged at her recovering enemy trying to impale them through the heart, however she missed by a small margin by a sudden act of desperation.

"Keh!" The blond spat as she moved out of the way, kicking her legs in an attempt to push her opponent.

"Gah!" Blue eyes widened as pain shot throughout her body from the kicked delivered to the side of her face, forcing her to release her sword that was stuck on the wall and roll to her side.

"Nanoha!" Fate called out as she ran closer to the battle area. "Onee-chan! Stop this!" She pleaded as her sister desperately got up on her feet and pulled a knife out of her pocket in a final charge.

"!" Nanoha raised her head and looked in horror at what was transpiring. She knew she would not be able to make it in time, but tried to muster her strength when she felt a metallic object next to her. Her mind hesitated to use it, but her body had already picked up the gun and pointed it at its owner.

"Wait!" Fate glanced over, knowing what was about to happen.

"Yaaaaaa!" Alicia yelled as she raised the dagger above her head.

Nanoha steadied her arm and began to pull the trigger just as Fate's voice filled her ears.

"_NO!"_

***bang***

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_**…**_

**~~ Aftermath ~~**

"How is she doing?" Hayate asked the girl next to her. "Will she be ok?"

"I don't know." The girl responded. "The shock it gave her was probably more than her mind could handle." They frowned. "I want to stay by her side until she recovers...but even if she doesn't recover, it won't change my feelings for her." She smiled as she watched Nanoha sitting in a wheelchair looking very interested at the floating butterfly in front of her.

"You're a strong girl, Fate." Hayate smiled. "Not many people can say that about the person they love."

"No..." Fate shook her head. "I am nothing compared to how my sister was, but for Nanoha's sake as well as my own, I have to become stronger."

"Do you want to come with us?" Hayate looked over at the car that pulled up outside the lobby "We're going to pick up your mother and Lindy-san."

"...I want to stay here." Fate smiled weakly. "With everything that's happened I want to tell my mother everything, but I don't know if I'll have the strength. I want to draw from Nanoha if I can..."

"I understand." The investigator smiled. "I'll call you from the airport then, ok?"

"Sure." Fate waved and stepped outside next to Nanoha's wheelchair. "It's beautiful isn't it?" She spoke up, causing the other girl to turn towards the voice.

"Nnn~" Nanoha responded innocently. "It's very pretty~" She reached out to touch it but it unfortunately flew out of her range. "Mou..." She pouted like a child.

"It's ok." She patted the brunette on the head gently like a mother would. "It will come back when it is time, so be patient until then, ok?" She offered a warm smile.

"Haaaaaai~"

"Excuse me for a moment, please." Fate patted Nanoha's hand as she noticed someone standing under the tree. After receiving a nod, she walked over to the tree and leaned against it, her eyes gently resting on the girl quietly playing in the area before her. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes, everything is perfect thanks to you." The voice responded. "Everything except the last bit, I suppose."

"Ah don't-" Fate was cut off as her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Fate!" Hayate's voice came out of the speaker. "We have your mother and Lindy-san here and we are on our way back to you~" She chimed. "Vita is here since she was eager to meet your mother." She laughed while Vita complained about how it wasn't true in the background. "Signum and Shamal took care of us by handling the luggage and everything. I swear, all of us didn't need to be in the same car."

"Well, that is good to hear." Fate laughed. "How long will it take for you guys to get here?"

"Well, it will take us about another fif-" The voice on the other end cut off abruptly by what sounded like an explosion and a beeping noise replaced it.

Fate closed her cellphone and leaned her head back on the truck of the tree. "That solve your last bit?" She asked the stranger next to her.

"You are a very frightening person." The voice shivered a little. "And you are a terror to work for." It laughed a little afterwards. "However, you always see things through." The person pushed themselves from the trunk and took two steps away before looking over their shoulder and tipping their hat.

"Take care of yourself." Fate pushed herself off as well but didn't look back. "...Yuuno Scrya."

"Heh." Yuuno grinned under his hat. "You as well...Alicia Testarossa."

**~~ True End Complete ~~**

* * *

_Final Notes__: For all those that forgot/cant remember, the Prologue goes right between the shot and the Aftermath, fu fu fu~ *ahem* Now the story has come full circle...it has finally completed itself from the prologue that was presented in the beginning. To some of you...perhaps the ultimate...Betrayal was hoping for something that could never be~ Thank you all for being patient with me the past 3 years that this story has been in the making. If you realized, today is its 3 year birthday (according to FF-dot-net anyway). I would like to extend my thanks to those who reviewed and sent me messages telling me never to give up on this, helping me with corrections I needed, and being patient as it unfolded. _Thank you once again. orz


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